2011
Dr. Heather Cunliffe, Head of TGen’s Breast & Ovarian Cancer Research Unit, Recipient of 2011 Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation Grant
Press Release:
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Sept. 7, 2011 — The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation (IBCRF) has awarded $50,000 to the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) to discover the genetic origins of this rare and most deadly form of breast cancer.
Unlike other types of breast cancer, Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is very often misdiagnosed, and rapidly progresses to an advanced stage, said Dr. Heather Cunliffe, Head of TGen’s Breast & Ovarian Cancer Research Unit. “No one knows what causes IBC and what drives the aggressive nature of this disease,” Dr. Cunliffe said. “You can wake up one morning and out of the blue your breast will be twice its normal size, red and inflamed with full blown Inflammatory Breast Cancer.” As soon as it is diagnosed, patients typically start chemotherapy, even before surgery, to try and reduce the rapid spread of the disease, Dr. Cunliffe said. Still, there is no cure for IBC, which represents less than 5 percent of all breast cancers.
TGen’s interest in IBC began in 2006 after several Phoenix-area women who developed the disease urged the institute to conduct research. “They shared about the work of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation and suggested we might work together,” said Ginny Mason, Executive Director of the IBCRF. “Since that introduction, there have been many opportunities to partner with Dr. Cunliffe in her research. Dr. Cunliffe’s outstanding grant proposal, High-Resolution Molecular Pathology to guide Rational Therapeutic Approaches for Triple Negative Inflammatory Breast Cancer, addresses an important aspect of inflammatory breast cancer research, and hopefully will lead to identifying new targets for therapy.”
Funding for this grant was made possible through a partnership between the IBCRF and the Milburn Foundation, Mason said. The $50,000 award will enable TGen to analyze DNA samples from IBC tumors, to look for underlying genetic similarities that may indicate a therapeutic vulnerability. TGen researchers will zero in on the triple-negative (TN) form of IBC. Triple-negative breast cancers are those that do not express clinically significant levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PfR) or human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2). “It is critical that we discover the molecular and biologic underpinnings driving the highly aggressive behavior of TN-IBC tumors,” Dr. Cunliffe said.
A significant confounding problem in IBC research is that cells within an IBC tumor are mostly diffuse throughout the breast, mixed with normal cells and a significant number of immune system cells, Dr. Cunliffe said. “This makes isolation of tumor-specific DNA samples for research exceedingly difficult,” Dr. Cunliffe said. “TGen’s study will leverage a technology developed in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Barrett at TGen that solves this problem, allowing us to purify and examine TN-IBC DNA accurately at high resolution without contamination of DNA from normal healthy cells.”
Dr. Cunliffe said she hopes to quickly translate TGen’s laboratory findings into new therapeutic approaches that will benefit TN-IBC patients.
2010
Robert J. Schneider PhD, NYU Medical Center, Recipient of 2010 Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation Grant
Through a generous gift from the Milburn Foundation, the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to Robert J. Schneider, Ph.D., of New York University, Langone Medical Center.
Dr. Schneider’s project, Translating mTOR and Translational Regulation to Therapy in Triple Negative Inflammatory Breast Cancer was chosen from a pool of outstanding applications. “It’s difficult to choose just one project for funding when they are all worthwhile and important projects,” said Executive Director Ginny Mason. Dr. Schneider’s proposal received high marks for relevance and for the translational potential, moving from ‘bench to bedside to impact patient treatment.
The grant process involved inviting specific scientists to respond to a request for applications (RFA). Once those materials were received they were reviewed by the Medical Advisory Board and the Board of Directors of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Following the review comments were evaluated and one project was chosen to receive the 2010 grant. The announcement of the 2010 grant recipient was delayed to 2011 due to unforeseen circumstances.
Dr. Schneider and colleagues have focused much of their research time and effort in the study of inflammatory and locally advanced breast cancer. Last year’s publication by Dr. Schneider, Essential Role for eIF4GI Overexpression in the Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, created quite a stir in the inflammatory breast cancer community. The media presented this research as discovering the gene for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), when in actuality it is a translation factor. It’s important to understand that eIF4GI is a translation factor overexpressed in most IBCs, resulting in its unique pathogenic properties. Understanding this mechanism can aid potential control of the disease.
Dr. Schneider and colleagues have developed a unique understanding of the importance of translational control in the development and progression of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). This understanding can now be used to help develop novel therapeutic and tailored approaches for IBC in general and triple negative IBC in particular. This research group has identified and developed innovative, targeted and triple negative IBC-specific approaches for treatment of this disease. With this grant, Dr. Schneider will use these insights in animal models to rapidly develop targeted therapeutic intervention, leading to a future pilot Phase I/II clinical trial.
The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation is excited to join with Dr. Schneider and colleagues in this important research venture targeting the needs of those patients diagnosed with triple negative inflammatory breast cancer.
2009
Bryan Schneider, MD. Recipient of 2010 Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation Grant
Women with a relatively rare but aggressive form of breast cancer may benefit from a unique tissue bank of normal breast tissue at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center.
Bryan Schneider, M.D., and doctoral student Milan Radovich will study the underlying molecular underpinning of inflammatory breast cancer using cutting edge technology called Next Generation Sequencing with the support of a $50,000 grant from the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Milburn Foundation partnership. This work will capitalize on the ability to compare genetic abnormalities against normal breast tissue.
Press Release, August 9, 2010, Indianapolis:
Bryan Schneider, M.D.
Assistant professor of medicine
Researcher at the IU Simon Cancer Center
Indiana University Physician Receives Funding for Rare, Aggressive Breast Cancer Research
Women with a relatively rare but aggressive form of breast cancer may benefit from a unique tissue bank of normal breast tissue at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center.
Bryan Schneider, M.D., and doctoral student Milan Radovich will study the underlying molecular underpinning of inflammatory breast cancer using cutting edge technology called Next Generation Sequencing with the support of a $50,000 grant from the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Milburn Foundation partnership. This work will capitalize on the ability to compare genetic abnormalities against normal breast tissue.
“To identify the critical molecular changes that distinguish normal from malignant, and to detect the earliest indication of the transformation, researchers must be able to study normal breast cells,” said Dr. Schneider, the recipient of the IBC grant. “Since 2005, hundreds of women have donated tissue to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank® at the IU Simon Cancer Center to make it possible for researchers to identify abnormalities in cells. We are hopeful that the information contained in the Bank will direct scientists to cures for the many forms of breast cancer.” Dr. Schneider is an assistant professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine and a researcher and clinician at the IU Simon Cancer Center.
Read the rest of the news release.
2009
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation Awards Grant to Study Brain Metastasis of IBC (Oct 2009)
Diane Palmieri, Ph.D, National Cancer Institute scientist in the Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Women’s Cancers Section, has been chosen to receive a grant from the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The award, in support of her proposal Development of Mouse Models of Inflammatory Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis, will seek to further the understanding of progression of this unique, aggressive form of breast cancer.
Inflammatory breast cancer, a less common and potentially deadly form of breast cancer, remains a poorly understood disease. While general breast cancer research has provided some insight, specialized study of inflammatory breast cancer and its aggressive metastatic nature is essential. Dr. Palmieri’s proposal was selected from a pool of outstanding submissions receiving high marks for its relevance and translational potential.
Dr. Palmieri is a Co-PI on a Department of Defense Center of Excellence Award entitled Studies Directed toward the Eradication of Brain Metastasis of Breast Cancer. A comprehensive website has been developed to disseminate research results from this exciting project (http://www.brainmetsbc.org.) Advocates are an integral part of this Center of Excellence (COE) project and are responsible for developing the website, providing a resource for those seeking information on brain metastasis of breast cancer. Dr. Patricia Steeg, Head of the Women’s Cancer Section and long time friend and supporter of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation, has assembled an amazing group of researchers and advocates to escalate the development and implementation of new treatments for patients dealing with brain metastasis from breast cancer.
In addition to her research, Dr. Palmieri is a faculty member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund’s Project LEAD advocate science training program. She gave an outstanding presentation, entitled Understanding Cell Signaling, to Project LEAD graduates attending the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in 2008.
Dr. Palmieri received her B.S. in Biotechnology from Rochester Institute of Technology and her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. She began her career in the Women’s Cancer Section in 2002 as a research fellow, moving into the position of staff scientist in 2005. Dr. Palmieri has numerous peer-reviewed publications to her credit and has given poster and other presentations at a variety of cancer venues.
This grant award is made possible through a partnership of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Milburn Foundation. The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit incorporated in 1999, is dedicated to facilitating research and raising awareness of inflammatory breast cancer. The Milburn Foundation, a private charitable foundation, was created to support leaders who are making a difference in the fight against critical health care challenges.
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