Creating personalised therapies for breast cancer patients
Associate Professor Christopher Ormandy and his team are driving the next generation of revolutionary breast cancer treatments. They have identified some of the key pathways that turn normal breast cells into cancer cells. By switching off these pathways, the growth of dangerous breast cancers could be blocked.
Background
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting Australians, with around 43,000 women living with a diagnosis in NSW alone. Between 1991 and 1999, the number of deaths from breast cancer fell by 3% every year, but since 2000 the number of deaths has plateaued. The initial fall in the death rate was largely thanks to earlier detection, increased screening and improved treatments. It is possible that much of the benefit of existing therapies has been realised, meaning new treatments must be invented to make sure the number of people dying from breast cancer keeps on declining.
The research
- The goal of this research was to help create ‘personalised’ breast cancer treatments that can be tailored to meet the needs of individual patients. The development of these treatments relies heavily on collecting data about cancer at the molecular level.
- Professor Ormandy’s research has pinpointed three new genetic pathways that turn normal breast cells into breast cancer cells. One of the molecules involved in these pathways, called Id4, plays a crucial role in triple negative breast cancer – an extremely difficult to treat form of breast cancer.
- Around 50% of triple negative breast cancers have high levels of Id4, and people with these cancers have poor survival outcomes. Professor Ormandy’s research has shown that by blocking this molecule, the growth of triple negative breast cancers can be hindered.
The impact
This vital information about breast cancer genetics is helping make personalised breast cancer treatment a reality for people with cancer in Australia and around the world.
The researchers were able to use information about the normal biology of the breast alongside cutting edge genomics technology to uncover the ‘master’ regulators of breast cancer development. The team has demonstrated that these regulatory pathways could be directly targeted to halt the progression and growth of breast cancer.
This research will now help drive the next generation of revolutionary therapies that treat breast cancers at the genetic level. These pathways could also potentially be used to detect breast cancer early on, and predict how people will respond to different therapies.
Research team
Associate Professor Christopher Ormandy
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Dr Jason Carroll
Dr Warren Kaplan
Professor Sunhil Lakhani
Dr Matthew Naylor
Dr Alexander Swarbrick