Chen, Chun-Kan

Washington University in St. Louis

MO

Career Catalyst Research Grant

Using Special RNA Targets to Develop a Breast Cancer Vaccine

Dr. Chun-Kan Chen, of Washington University in St. Louis, aims to find new ways to create more precise and effective breast cancer vaccines. Dr. Chen is exploring whether unique pieces of protein, made from special circular RNA found only in breast cancer cells, can be used to train the immune system to better recognize and fight the disease. If successful, this research could lead to more personalized and powerful breast cancer treatments.

Jacobs, Miriam

Georgetown University

DC

Career Catalyst Research Grant

Enhancing Natural Killer Cell Activity Against Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Dr. Miriam Jacobs, of Georgetown University, is leading a project that aims to boost the body’s natural immune defenses to fight an aggressive form of breast cancer called triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). By helping immune cells called Natural Killer (NK) cells better recognize and attack TNBC, the research could lead to new treatments and a clinical trial for women with advanced disease.

Molgora, Martina

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Inc.

FL

Career Catalyst Research Grant

Understanding the Impact of Suppressive Myeloid Cells on Breast Cancer Progression

Dr. Martina Molgora, of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, is directing on a project that explores the role of a protein called TREM2 in how breast cancer starts and grows. Dr. Molgora will study whether TREM2 can help detect, predict, or treat breast cancer, and how it affects the environment around tumors. Her work could open the door to new and more effective treatment strategies.

O'Neil, Daniel

Yale University

CT

Career Catalyst Research Grant

Implementing Home-Based Screening Clinical Breast Examination in South Africa

Dr. Daniel O’Neil, of Yale University, will implement home-based clinical breast examinations in South Africa, a country where 50% to 85% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at advanced stages due to limited access to mammography. He aims to partner with local community health workers to develop methods for at-home exams, offering a cost-efficient pathway for early detection in South Africa and other low- and middle-income countries.

Sathe, Claire

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

NY

Career Catalyst Research Grant

Prospective Study of Employment-Related Outcomes in Metastatic Breast Cancer

Dr. Claire Sathe, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will study work disruptions in newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, hypothesizing they face greater job loss or reduced hours than those with early-stage breast cancer. She will monitor newly-diagnosed MBC patients over a three-year period to assess the frequency of these changes and to analyze various contributing factors, including personal and job-related issues. The research will also evaluate the impact of work changes on health insurance, treatment interruptions, and financial stress, ultimately seeking strategies to mitigate job disruptions that could hinder cancer care for MBC patients.

Zhao, Na

Baylor College of Medicine

TX

Career Catalyst Research Grant

Targeting eIF4A to Combat Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Dr. Na Zhao, of Baylor College of Medicine, is working on new strategies to treat triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) lung and liver metastases. She is interested in a protein involved in translation, eIF4-A, and thinks targeting it is a potential strategy to treat metastatic TNBC (mTNBC). Ultimately, she hopes to inform future clinical trials with eiF4-A targeting drugs and pave the way for novel combination therapies that target mTNBC more effectively to improve patient outcomes.

Dai, Charles

Massachusetts General Hospital

MA

Career Transition Award

Hyperactivating the Androgen Receptor in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Dr. Charles Dai, of Massachusetts General Hospital, will be exploring a new treatment approach for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) by targeting a protein called the androgen receptor (AR). Dr. Dai believes that activating AR in certain TNBCs could help fight the disease by affecting a cancer-driving gene called MYC. The research will identify which patients might benefit and find markers to predict response, potentially leading to more personalized and effective therapies.

Gupta, Avantika

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

NY

Career Transition Award

Characterizing Mutational Processes Driving Therapy Resistance in Breast Cancer

Dr. Avantika Gupta, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, will investigate how mutations in a protein called APOBEC3 may cause breast cancer to become resistant to treatment. Dr. Gupta will study how these mutations affect cancer cells and look for weak spots that can be targeted to stop resistance from developing. The findings could lead to new ways to keep treatments effective for longer.

Michel, Alissa

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

NY

Career Transition Award

Decision Support for Enhanced Breast MRI Screening in High-Risk Women

Dr. Alissa Michel, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, aims to develop and test tools that empower women to make informed decisions about using MRI for breast screening. She will identify factors influencing enhanced MRI screening among high-risk women, conduct usability studies for program refinement, and run a clinical trial to boost screening among ethnically and racially diverse high-risk groups. Success will lead to a multilevel intervention for breast cancer risk assessment, incorporating decision support for both providers and patients, facilitating integration into clinical workflows for sustained outreach to underserved populations.

Padmanaban, Veena

The Rockefeller University

NY

Career Transition Award

Mechanisms of Peripheral Nerve Co-option in Breast Cancer Metastasis

Dr. Veena Padmanaban, of The Rockefeller University, will investigate how breast cancer may utilize nearby nerves, known as peripheral nerves, to help it spread to other locations. The research will uncover how breast cancer interacts with the nerves of the nervous system and whether these nerves play a key role in creating environments where breast cancer can grow and spread. The findings could reveal new ways to stop breast cancer metastasis by targeting these nerve-breast cancer connections.

Ashworth, Alan

University of California, San Francisco

CA

Leadership Grant

Discovering Novel Immunotherapy Strategies to Treat Breast Cancer

Dr. Alan Ashworth, of the University of California, San Francisco, will carry out studies to identify and test genes that could help improve two types of cancer treatments—CAR-T and NK cell therapies—for advanced breast cancer. Models will be used to see how well these changes work and how safe they are. The goal is to make these treatments more effective, which could lead to better outcomes for breast cancer patients.

Pal, Tuya

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

TN

Leadership Grant

Genetic Risk Education And Testing (GREAT) Information for Breast Cancer Care

Dr. Tuya Pal, of Vanderbilt University, will continue providing web-based genetic counseling to young Black women with breast cancer, aiming to increase genetic testing to inform their families. She plans to enroll 100 more women and continue researching genetic drivers of hereditary cancer by analyzing medical records and sequencing archival tissues. The goal is to reduce disparities in breast cancer outcomes through improved understanding of inherited mutations.

Tamimi, Rulla

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

NY

Leadership Grant

Weight Management, Metabolomics Signatures and Breast Cancer Risk and Survival

Dr. Rulla Tamimi, of Weill Cornell, aims to study how various weight loss methods including bariatric surgery, nutrition, and medication affect breast cancer risk and survival in women with and without the disease. This research could significantly clarify the impact of weight management strategies on breast cancer risk and survival.

Polyak, Kornelia

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

MA

Leadership Grant

Breast Cancer Risk Prediction and Prevention Strategies

Dr. Kornelia Polyak, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will study whether a protein called midkine can be used to help identify younger women at higher risk of developing breast cancer. Her group will also explore how an inherited gene mutation increases the chances of getting estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer at a young age. The results could improve how we assess breast cancer risk and lead to new ways to prevent the disease in women who are most at risk.

Curtis, Christina

Stanford University School of Medicine

CA

Leadership Grant

Molecular Determinants of Breast Cancer Progression and Recurrence

Dr. Christina Curtis, of Stanford University School of Medicine, will study the tissue environment around breast cancer tumors in high-risk groups to better understand what causes the breast cancer tumor to grow, resist treatment, or come back. By using advanced tools, the research aims to improve how patients are grouped for treatment and help develop better therapies.

Rosen, Jeffrey

Baylor College of Medicine

TX

Leadership Grant

Treatment of Breast Cancer Metastasis by Therapeutic Manipulation of Macrophages

Dr. Jeffrey Rosen, from Baylor College of Medicine, will use combination therapy of immune suppressive agent with either a tumor macrophage eliminator or a modulator in laboratory models of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Agents identified in this study will be used in future clinical trials to target lung and liver metastases in TNBC

Battaglia, Tracy

Yale University

CT

Leadership Grant

AI-Assisted Navigation to Mitigate Hereditary Breast Cancer Testing Disparities

Dr. Tracy Battaglia, of Yale University, aims to increase genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer, especially among Black patients. Her team is using an AI algorithm to identify eligible individuals within a statewide care network who should receive testing. They will implement a single-arm prospective pilot study to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness in increasing genetic testing rates among approximately 1,200 eligible breast cancer patients.

Kurian, Allison

Stanford University School of Medicine

CA

Leadership Grant

Spatial Molecular Imaging and Cell-Free DNA Analysis in the Diverse Breast Cancer Family Registry

Dr. Allison Kurian, at Stanford University School of Medicine, will explore why some women are more likely to die from breast cancer by studying data from the Northern California Breast Cancer Family Registry and the California Cancer Registry. Dr. Kurian will be using advanced technologies to analyze breast cancer tumors and the area around them for molecular patterns associated with recurrence and breast cancer death. The project will look at how factors like race, genetics, and the immune system affect outcomes, with the goal of improving treatments and making clinical trials more inclusive.

Lin, Nancy

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

MA

Leadership Grant

Identifying New Targets and Therapies for CNS Metastases from Breast Cancer

Dr. Nancy Lin, from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will use patient samples to find new treatment targets for people with advanced breast cancer that has spread to the brain and spinal fluid. The goal is to develop better therapies and improve outcomes for these patients.

Park, Ben

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

TN

Leadership Grant

Targeting Spliceosome Mutations for Breast Cancer Therapy

Dr. Ben Park, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, will explore how mutations in a protein called SF3B1 contribute to breast cancer and use that knowledge to develop new treatments for tumors with this mutation. The findings may also help create therapies for other breast cancers involving mistakes in processing genetic messages and could point to new drug targets.

Pietenpol, Jennifer

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

TN

Leadership Grant

Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Subtypes, Molecular Targets, and Therapeutic Approaches

Dr. Jennifer Pietenpol, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is using patient samples from a clinical trial, along with some lab models, to figure out how to better target and treat a type of triple negative breast cancer called luminal androgen receptor (LAR) TNBC. She's exploring how a mix of androgen therapy and regular treatments can work together. The main aim is to find new, effective treatments tailored to LAR, since this kind of TNBC doesn’t respond well to immunotherapy.

Lynce, Filipa

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

MA

Opportunity Grant

Re-optimization and validation of the IBC Scoring System in diverse patient populations

A team led by Dr. Filipa Lynce of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will receive funding to further refine and enhance the inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) Scoring System, a novel diagnostic tool, allowing clinicians to better assess the likelihood of a patient having IBC. IBC is an aggressive and difficult-to-diagnose breast cancer with highly variable signs and symptoms. This study will further test and optimize the ability of the IBC Scoring System to discriminate between IBC and non-IBC in diverse patient populations.

Cote, Michele

Indiana University

IN

Opportunity Grant

Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center

Michele Cote, Ph.D., of Indiana University (IU) will receive funding to support the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank (KTB) at the IU Simon Cancer Center, the world’s only biorepository of normal breast tissue. Access to these normal breast tissue samples provides researchers the opportunity to understand how biological alterations in normal breast tissue can promote cancer development.

Wolff, Antonio

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

MD

Opportunity Grant

The Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium

Antonio Wolff, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University, will receive funding to support the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC). The TBCRC, a group of 18 leading academic institutions and medical centers, provides a forum where investigators, advocates, coordinators, scientists and biostatisticians work together to plan and refine clinical trials, advancing breast cancer research. More than half of TBCRC trials have focused on metastatic breast cancer.

Lee, Adrian

University of Pittsburgh

PA

Scientific Strategy and Programs Grant

Understanding the Challenges and Potential of using Patient-Derived Breast Cancer Organoids

The breast cancer organoid workshop, led by Adrian Lee, Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, will bring together research scientists and patient advocates to guide the next generation of breast cancer organoid research by sharing knowledge and experience in innovative technologies, protocols, techniques, and barriers to progress. The goal of the workshop is to stimulate collaboration and guide the next generation of breast cancer organoid research.