Mammary Cell News Volume 8.11 | Mar 24 2016

AhR Ligand Aminoflavone Inhibits α6-Integrin Expression and Breast Cancer Sphere-Initiating Capacity
Scientists investigated the ability of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist Aminoflavone (AF) and AF pro-drug to disrupt mammospheres derived from breast cancer cells and a M05 mammary mouse model of breast cancer respectively. [Cancer Lett] Abstract

Quantification of HER2 Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer-Implications for Identification of Sub-Dominant Clones for Personalized Treatment
Using Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) as an exemplar, researchers developed a simple reproducible heterogeneity index. Cell-to-cell HER2 heterogeneity was extensive in a proportion of both reported ‘amplified’ and ‘non-amplified’ cases. [Sci Rep] Full Article

GT198 Expression Defines Mutant Tumor Stroma in Human Breast Cancer
Using breast cancer gene product GT198 as a unique marker, researchers revealed the cellular identities of GT198 mutant cells in human breast tumor stroma. GT198 is a steroid hormone receptor coactivator and a crucial factor in DNA repair. [Am J Pathol] Abstract | Press Release

Snail-Induced Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells: Systems Analysis of Molecular Changes and Their Effect on Radiation and Drug Sensitivity
Researchers report the results of a comprehensive systems level molecular analysis of changes in global patterns of gene expression and levels of glutathione and reactive oxygen species in MCF-7 breast cancer cells engineered to constitutively express the zinc-finger transcriptional repressor gene Snail cells and the consequence of these changes on the sensitivity of cells to radiation treatment and therapeutic drugs. [BMC Cancer] Full Article

Mammary Tumor Growth and Metastasis Are Reduced in c-Kit Mutant Sash Mice
To test the involvement of mast cells in breast cancer, investigators examined the effects of loss of mast cells on mammary tumor development by crossing the well-known mast cell deficient mouse strain sash with the mammary tumor transgenic mouse strain MMTV-Polyoma Middle T antigen. [Cancer Med] Full Article

Let-7c Blocks Estrogen-Activated Wnt Signaling in Induction of Self-Renewal of Breast Cancer Stem Cells
By analyzing the expression levels of let-7 family members in clinical tissues, investigators found that higher expression levels of let-7b and let-7c were correlated with better clinical prognosis of patients with estrogen receptor α-positive breast tumor. [Cancer Gene Ther] Abstract

Selective Cytotoxicity and Modulation of Apoptotic Signature of Breast Cancer Cells by Pithecellobium dulce Leaf Extracts
Scientists report the potent and selective cytotoxicity of the crude aqueous leaf extract from the medicinal plant, P. dulce towards the human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), but not the normal cells (MCF-10A). [Biotechnol Prog] Abstract

CLINICAL RESEARCH

A Non-Randomized Dose-Escalation Phase I Trial of a Protein-Based Immunotherapeutic for the Treatment of Breast Cancer Patients with HER2-Overexpressing Tumors
Researchers assessed the safety and immunogenicity of an anti-cancer immunotherapeutic (recombinant HER2 protein combined with the immunostimulant AS15) in patients with early-stage HER2-overexpressing breast cancer. [Breast Cancer Res Treat] Full Article

Randomized Phase II Trial of Cyclophosphamide and the Oral Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Veliparib in Patients with Recurrent, Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
In order to assess the role of poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase (PARP) inhibition in the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), investigators conducted a randomized Phase II trial of the combination of veliparib, a small molecule PARP inhibitor, with the cytotoxic agent cyclophosphamide versus cyclophosphamide alone in patients with refractory TNBC. [Invest New Drugs] Full Article

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Scripps Florida Scientists Win $1.4 Million Grant to Develop New Ways to Block Breast Cancer
Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have received a $1.4 million grant from the Department of Defense to develop a series of drug candidates that act against molecules closely linked with the growth of cancer cells. [The Scripps Research Institute] Press Release

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PhD Fellowship – Breast Cancer (INCLIVA Health Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Platelets in Metastatic Breast and Colon Cancer (Université de Strasbourg)

Research Associate – Breast Cancer and Huntington’s Disease (University of Pittsburgh Drug Discovery Institute)

Research Associate – Vascular Biology and Breast Cancer (University of South Australia)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Tumor Biology of Breast and Lung Cancer (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Research Technician – Breast Cancer (Kings College London)

Research Associate – Breast Cancer (University of Cambridge)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Breast Cancer Stem Cells (Fundación para la Investigación Biosanitaria de Andalucia Oriental)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Microenvironment of Breast Cancer (Icahn School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Breast and Prostate Cancer Molecular Mechanisms (Feinberg School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Epigenetic Reprogramming of Breast Cancer Stem Cells (University of Toronto)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Various Projects in Cancer Biology (National University of Singapore)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Genetic and Epigenetic Variability in Breast Cancer (The University of Tennessee Health Science Center)

Pathologist – Breast/Gastrointestinal/Genitourinary Cancer (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)

Manager – Medical and Breast Imaging (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Breast Cancer Biology (Washington University School of Medicine)

Clinical Pathways Associate – Cancer Therapeutics (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Director Clinical Research – Medical Oncology (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

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