ELF5 Integrates Prolactin And Progestin Control Of Mammary Gland Development Via Regulation Of Progenitor Cells.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,515.00
Summary
Elf5 may act as a master-regulator of mammary cell growth during pregnancy. We will demonstrate that Elf5 can replace the requirement for prolactin and progesterone to trigger mammary development and we will determine the stem or progenitor cells Elf5 acts on. Finally we will apply this knowledge to breast cancer cell lines to discover what role Elf5 plays in breast cancer. These experiments have the potential to establish Elf5 as a new therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer.
Elucidating The In Vivo Role Of The Pro-survival Gene Mcl-1 In Mammary Gland Development And Breast Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$664,691.00
Summary
Breast cancer strikes one in 8 women by age 85 and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite recent improvements, the immense breast cancer burden demands new strategies that will radically improve patient outcomes. This project will address a hallmark of cancer: evasion of apoptosis. Understanding the molecular events that promote tumour survival and resistance to therapy represents a key area in cancer biology that has yet to be properly applied to breast cancer.
Cell Survival Pathways As Potential Targets In Breast Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$142,914.00
Summary
Cancer cells are characterised by their capacity for relentless growth, survival and evasion of cell death. This proposal will use patient derived xenograft models of primary breast cancer to test the hypothesis that addition of BH3-mimetics could improve response to anti-HER2 therapy. This technique involves transplantation of patient tumours into immune-compromised mice. This represents a useful method for testing new agents.