2020-2021 BCRF Researchers

No two breast cancers are alike, and treatments don’t work the same for every patient. For patients whose tumors have a specific alteration in a gene or growth pathway, therapies that specifically target those vulnerabilities can more effectively kill the tumor. Unfortunately, many targeted therapies have yielded inconsistent results in clinical trials. FABRICE ANDRÉ, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, is conducting a clinical trial to identify genetic markers in the tumor and blood from patients that may predict response to a class of targeted therapies called PI3K inhibitors.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ Brands Awards in Memory of Evelyn H. Lauder

The concept of “targeted” cancer therapy is to target the source driving tumor growth with the idea that shutting down its addiction will cause the tumor to die. Unfortunately, the success of many “targeted” therapies is hampered by the tumor cells’ ability to activate other means of growth, rendering the therapy ineffective. LEWIS C. CANTLEY, PhD, the Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College is conducting studies to improve the effectiveness of one type of targeted therapy called PI3K inhibitors. His group is testing a novel combination approach to prevent resistance to these drugs.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ Brands Awards in Memory of Evelyn H. Lauder

Advancements in immunotherapy have made it a promising treatment approach for some cancers, but as with most other cancer therapies, tumors can outsmart immune-based drug and block their effects. ELIZABETH JAFFEE, MD and LEISHA EMENS, MD, PhD, will test the combination of trastuzumab (Herceptin®) and an immune targeted drug to enhance the immune response in HER2+ breast cancer. They hope to develop a highly active immunotherapy regimen that will translate into a clinical trial testing of the most potent combination immunotherapy regimen in patients with recurrent HER2+ breast cancer.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Clinique Awards

There are currently five FDA-approved targeted therapies for patients with HER2+ breast cancer, but no way to tell which drug is right for an individual patient. DAVID RIMM, MD, PhD, Professor of the Department of Pathology and Director of the Pathology Tissue Services and Translational Science in Pathology at Yale University School of Medicine, is using patient samples collected as part of a large clinical trial to identify markers that predict response to various treatments and combinations. The goal is to develop an assay that can match the right drug to the right patient.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ North America Manufacturing & Distribution and Global Research & Development Awards

In order for tumors to grow and spread, tumor cells have to reprogram normal processes to support their abnormal growth and evade detection by the body’s immune system. They do this by changing the activity of genes that regulate growth processes. H. SHELTON EARP, MD, Director of Cancer Care at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is conducting studies to identify genes and proteins that have become dysregulated to identify new targets for drug development. Current studies are focused on strategies to improve response to immunotherapies in advanced breast cancers.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Awards

New immune-based therapies called checkpoint inhibitors have improved outcomes in several challenging cancers including some Triple Negative Breast Cancers (TNBC). However, most TNBC tumors do not respond to this therapy. JENNY C. CHANG, MD, Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College and Director of the Cancer Center at The Methodist Hospital, Houston Methodist Research Institute in Houston, TX, has identified a potential target that may enhance response to these therapies. In her current studies, Dr. Chang will test new combination therapies to enhance response to immunotherapy in TNBC.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Awards

MIEN-CHIE HUNG, PhD and GABRIEL N. HORTOBAGYI, MD, FACP, FASCO have found that the antidiabetes drug metformin can be given to patients to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy. They have also identified an enzyme that may serve as a biomarker to predict resistance to a specific type of immunotherapy (anti PD-1 and anti PD-L1 immune checkpoint therapy).

Drs. Hung and Hortobagyi are conducting research to improve outcomes in patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) by enhancing response to existing therapies and developing new ones. TNBC is an aggressive form of breast cancer that is challenging to treat and is more likely to spread and recur. Immunotherapies have shown some benefit in patients with TNBC, but most receive very little benefit and may suffer severe side effects. Drs. Hung and Hortobagyi are investigating the causes of resistance to PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoint therapy, which will allow them to develop effective combination therapies to overcome resistance.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies' Employee Fundraising Award

Women of African descent are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive breast cancers than white women and more likely to die from their disease. Additionally, women in remote or low-resource areas have limited access to screening or genetic testing, compounding the challenge of reducing breast cancer deaths in women of African descent. FUNMI I. OLOPADE, MB, BS, FACP, Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics, University of Chicago, has created an international program in Sub-Sahara Africa to study the causes of breast cancer and to create an infrastructure to ensure that high-risk women get quality preventive screening and treatment. She and her University of Chicago colleagues have made tremendous progress in closing this knowledge gap through ther Nigeria Breast Cancer Study (NBCS), which aims to improve the quality of breast cancer care in underserved low-resource communities through rigorous science and technology. These efforts are creating a strong clinical research infrastructure, which can be used to further strengthen the country’s capacity to address and respond to emerging cancer care needs.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ North America Manufacturing & Distribution and Global Research & Development Awards

Breast cancers that occur frequently in families can be due to both genetic and environmental factors. A person’s genetic background can affect how his/her body responds to a range of environmental influences; from diet to common chemicals. REGINA M. SANTELLA, PhD and MARY BETH TERRY, PhD, Professors at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, are conducting studies to understand the impact of environmental exposures in young girls from high-risk families to develop better risk prediction models and preventive strategies.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Aveda Award

Puberty and adolescence are times of rapid breast development. Studies have shown that external factors, such as diet and other lifestyle choices during adolescence, can increase the risk of breast cancer later in life. THOMAS KENSLER, PHD Full Member, Public Health Sciences Division Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is conducting studies to understand how an unhealthy diet, one high in sugar, refined and processed food, may cause an increase in breast cancer risk.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies' Employee Fundraising Award

Approximately 25 percent of patients with early stage breast cancer will be diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Breast cancer recurrence is a serious clinical challenge and a source of anxiety that many patients experience after treatment ends. MONICA FORNIER, MD, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and an Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and her international colleague, LAURA BIGANZOLI, MD of the Hospital Prato, Instituto Tuscano Tumori Italy, are conducting studies to understand how metabolites in the blood may be used to identify women with a high risk of breast cancer recurrence.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ North America Manufacturing & Distribution and Global Research & Development Awards

Breast cancers that require estrogen to grow–called estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers–are the most frequently diagnosed type of breast cancer. These cancers respond well to therapies that block growth-promoting effects of estrogen – called endocrine therapy. Resistance to endocrine therapy remains a significant clinical challenge, however and is often the cause of cancer recurrence and breast cancer deaths. MITCH DOWSETT, PhD, BSc, and IAN E. SMITH, MD, FRCP, FRCPE, Professors at The Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research in London are studying the underlying causes of endocrine resistance so that preventive strategies can be developed.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ Brand Award in Honor of Elizabeth Hurley

Patients are living longer after breast cancer, because of more effective therapies. These lifesaving therapies, however, can have long-term side effects that diminish quality of life after therapy ends, including loss of brain function, a condition sometimes called “chemobrain.” PATRICIA A. GANZ, MD, a BCRF Scientific Advisor and the Director of Cancer Prevention & Control Research at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, is conducting a series of studies aimed at understanding how cancer therapies affect cognitive function and other factors related to quality of life. Dr. Ganz and her colleagues have continued to study a group of women after the end of treatment, and their reports have provided a rich source of information that has been helpful to patients and clinicians in understanding what to expect after treatment.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Awards

In a unique collaboration at UCLA, Associate Professors JULIENNE E. BOWER, PhD and STEVEN W. COLE, PhD, are studying the role that stress and the immune system play in cancer. They recently showed that social isolation can increase markers of inflammation in breast cancer survivors. Over the next year, they will conduct a more rigorous test of the association of social isolation and markers of stress in breast cancer patients participating in a clinical trial. The goal of the study is to see if the effect of stress related to social isolation is more relevant for particular types of breast tumors, and ultimately, to identify new targets for intervention to improve outcomes for women with breast cancer.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ Brands Awards in Memory of Evelyn H. Lauder