Mammary Cell News Volume 3.20 | May 26 2011

Scientists Find New Drug Target in Breast Cancer
Researchers have identified a new protein involved in the development of drug resistance in breast cancer which could be a target for new treatments. [Press release from Imperial College London discussing online prepublication in Nature Medicine]

Investigators Find Biomarker that Predicts Taxane-Induced Neuropathy Among Breast Cancer Patients
Indiana University researchers have identified a genetic biomarker that causes neuropathy among some breast cancer patients using a class of chemotherapy drugs called taxanes. [Indiana University School of Medicine Press Release]

Nexavar in Combination with Chemotherapy Improves Progression-Free Survival in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer in Phase II Study
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced results from a Phase IIb trial evaluating Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with a bevacizumab-containing regimen. [Press release from Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discussing online prepublication in the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Kinome Screening for Regulators of the Estrogen Receptor Identifies Lemur Tyrosine Kinase-3 as a New Therapeutic Target in Breast Cancer
Findings yield insights into the natural history of breast cancer in humans and reveal LMTK3 as a new therapeutic target. [Nat Med]

Snail1, Snail2, and E47 Promote Mammary Epithelial Branching Morphogenesis
Investigators characterized the role of a subset of the E-box-binding transcription factors and the EMT proteome in branching morphogenesis of mammary epithelial tissues using a three-dimensional organotypic culture model of the mammary duct. [EMBO J]

Epithelial Cell Organization Suppresses Myc Function by Attenuating Myc Expression
Scientists report that epithelial cell organization does not profoundly alter Myc activity but, instead, suppresses Myc by modulating its expression. [Cancer Res]

MicroRNA Sequence and Expression Analysis in Breast Tumors by Deep Sequencing
The differentiation of tumor subtypes and prediction of metastasis based on microRNA (miRNA) levels is statistically possible, but is not driven by deregulation of abundant miRNAs, implicating far fewer miRNAs in tumorigenic processes than previously suggested. [Cancer Res]

Twist2 Contributes to Breast Cancer Progression by Promoting an Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Cancer Stem-Like Cell Self-Renewal
Researchers report that Twist2, a tissue-specific basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, is overexpressed in human breast cancers and lymph node metastases. [Oncogene]

Loss of Mel-18 Induces Tumor Angiogenesis Through Enhancing the Activity and Expression of HIF-1α Mediated by the PTEN/PI3K/Akt Pathway
Investigators examined the effect of Mel-18 on tumor angiogenesis in human breast cancer, and found that Mel-18 was a novel regulator of HIF-1α. [Oncogene]

The Exonuclease Activity of hPMC2 Is Required for Transcriptional Regulation of the Quinone Reductase Gene and Repair of Estrogen-Induced Abasic Sites
Using in vitro kinetic assays, scientists found that the hPMC2 (human homolog of Xenopus gene which Prevents Mitotic Catastrophe) is a 3′–5′ non-processive exonuclease that degrades both single-stranded and double-stranded substrates. [Oncogene]

Dual Targeting of Tumor Angiogenesis and Chemotherapy by Endostatin-Cytosine Deaminase-Uracil Phosphoribosyl Transferase
Researchers report an antitumor therapeutic EndoCD fusion protein developed by linking endostatin to cytosine deaminase and uracil phosphoribosyl transferase. [Mol Cancer Ther]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Effect of Very Small Tumor Size on Cancer-Specific Mortality in Node-Positive Breast Cancer
Scientists sought to characterize the interaction between tumor size and lymph node (LN) involvement in determination of breast cancer–specific mortality (BCSM). In particular, they evaluated whether very small tumor size may predict for increased BCSM relative to larger tumors in patients with extensive LN involvement. [J Clin Oncol]

Nodal Status and Clinical Outcomes in a Large Cohort of Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical outcomes and relationship between tumor size, lymph node status, and prognosis in a large cohort of patients with confirmed triple receptor–negative breast cancer. [J Clin Oncol]

A Multistage Association Study Identifies a Breast Cancer Genetic Locus at NCOA7
Researchers evaluated associations between breast cancer and tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms of 107 candidate genes in the growth factor signaling pathways using single allele- and haplotype-based tests. [Cancer Res]

Estrogen Metabolism and Exposure in a Genotypic-Phenotypic Model for Breast Cancer Risk Prediction
Investigators developed a model that simulates the kinetic effect of genetic variants of the enzymes CYP1A1, CYP1B1, and COMT on the production of the main carcinogenic estrogen metabolite, 4-hydroxyestradiol, expressed as area under the curve metric. [Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev]

Genomic Health Announces Positive Preliminary Results of Oncotype DX® Study in DCIS Breast Cancer
Genomic Health, Inc. announced positive preliminary results from a study of Oncotype DX® in patients with DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast) conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. [Genomic Health, Inc. Press Release]

Lee W. Wattenberg, M.D., Receives the 2011 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Prevention Research
Lee W. Wattenberg, M.D., will receive the 2011 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Prevention Research for his role in launching the field of chemoprevention and his work to understand the potential mechanisms of action of chemopreventive compounds. [American Association for Cancer Research Press Release]

Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission Funds 36 New Projects in FY 2011
The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission has completed its review of the 180 applications received in response to its three FY 2011 Requests for Applications (RFAs). [Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund Press Release]

Breast Cancer Survivors and Advocates from Across California Call for Continued Support of the Every Woman Counts Program: Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Advocates Stress Importance of Early Detection
Responding to Governor Brown’s announced revised budget, breast cancer survivors and advocates from across the state stressed the importance of early detection. [Governor of the State of California, United States]

Ore. Senate Closes Breast Cancer Coverage Loophole
The Oregon Senate has voted unanimously to close a legal loophole that some health insurance companies had used to decline payment for reconstructive surgery for women with breast cancer. [Oregon Senate, United States]

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

NEW World Orphan Drug Congress Asia 2011
September 14-16, 2011
Seoul, Korea

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the mammary cell community.

Chemist (STEMCELL Technologies) 

Lab Technologist – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies)

Research and Development Senior Technologist (STEMCELL Technologies)

Laboratory Project Scientist (University of California, San Diego)

Senior Research Assistant (MD Anderson Cancer Center) 

Post-doctoral Research Fellow (University of Ottawa)

Post-doctoral Research Associate (University of Wisconsin – Madison)

Post-doctoral Fellow (University of Texas Medical School at Houston)

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