News

2007 Research Update

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Fort Wayne, Indiana (October 10, 2007) — The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer has committed $10 million to accelerate breast cancer research at the IU Simon Cancer Center. Their generosity has resulted in the naming of the Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Research Laboratories within the IU School of Medicine’s research complex. New laboratories for the 28-member breast cancer research team will open in 2009; however, research is ongoing. Below are 2007 research highlights.

Linda Malkas, Ph.D., the Vera Bradley Chair in Oncology, with her colleague Robert Hickey, Ph.D., have reported in the prestigious journal, Science, their discovery of a key protein in breast cancer cells, raising hopes that it will lead to a significantly better method for early detection of the disease.

This protein plays a vital role in the processes that control cell replication, repair and death. They have also identified an antibody that differentiates between the normal form of this protein and the altered form found in breast cancer cells, making it possible to detect cancer before a tumor ever forms. Our increased understanding of the molecular identities of each woman’s breast cancer is leading to the design of new individualized treatments for women with recurrent disease.

George Sledge, M.D., the Balve-Lantero Professor of Oncology, continues to lead the country in this important work that is resulting in more effective treatments with fewer side effects and extending the lives of women with advanced breast cancer. Drs. Sledge and Malkas are program directors of the Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Research Laboratories.

Anna Maria Storniolo, M.D., is the primary investigator of a trial using a drug currently approved for colon and rectal cancer. The treatment targets a protein that is believed to interfere with the growth of cancer cells. Dr. Storniolo believes that, when used in combination with chemotherapy, it may help metastatic breast cancer patients.

A normal breast tissue bank, co-directed by Dr. Storniolo and Susan Clare, M.D., Ph.D., is now accessible to breast cancer researchers nationally. The bank is a 2,500-specimen bio-repository of tissue and bio-molecules donated by women, most of whom have never had breast cancer. The tissue samples and corresponding personal health and lifestyle information for the donors can now be explored by researchers anxious to discover how breast cancer develops.

Robert Goulet, M.D., is opening a trial at the IU Simon Cancer Center to test new technology that allows for amplification of DNA which in turn aids in rapid detection of cancer cells in the lymph nodes of breast cancer patients undergoing surgery.

The goal is to use this technology during surgery to help surgeons determine the extent of lymph node removal, establish the appropriate tumor stage, and ultimately help doctors determine if patients should receive additional treatment.

Harikrishna Nakshatri, Ph.D, the Marian Morrison Chair in Oncology, isolates and studies breast cancer stem cells as potential treatment targets. His theory is that the stem cell is within the tumor mass but most likely escapes treatment because of its enhanced ability to survive treatment. He also is working to determine if the type of stem cell (i.e. lung, bone, brain, etc.) predetermines where the cancer will metastasize. The potential of his research is to predict at the time of initial surgery whether the disease is likely to metastasize to the bone, lungs or brain.

Dr. Nakshatri’s goal is to design treatments to prevent metastasis. A new breast cancer trial will be opening at the IU Simon Cancer Center for women with lymphedema, a condition which is currently untreatable.

Kathy Miller, M.D., the Sheila Ward Scholar, will be using an angiogenesis drug - believed to decrease pressure in blood vessels and tumors - to reduce swelling of arms and eliminate the uncomfortable side effect of lymphedema.

Drs. Miller and Clare are collaborating with the IUPUI Virtual Reality Laboratory to create 3-D images of blood vessels that connect to breast cancer tumors. A new clinical trial will soon be opening; women with recurrent breast cancer will receive anti-angiogenic therapy that is known to deprive tumors of life-sustaining blood flow. Drs. Miller and Clare will study the 3-D images of blood vessels before, during and after therapy to learn how blood vessels are affected so that other strategies to attack blood-vessel growth can be developed.

A second component of the trial is to use an interstitial pressure monitor to determine how pressure inside the tumor is affected by treatment. Researchers want to determine if antiangiogenic drugs increase the absorption of chemotherapy in the tumor by reducing internal tumor pressure.

Bryan Schneider, M.D., is looking for genetic and lifestyle clues to help explain why some women develop breast cancer and others do not. He believes that if biomarkers that predispose women to breast cancer can be identified, specific drugs could be developed to prevent the disease.

Some chemotherapies can cause hot flashes and early menopause. Dr. Schneider is searching for genetic clues in blood vessels that may reveal why. Genetic markers may allow oncologists to predict women at high risk for these side effects so that younger women’s fertility concerns can be addressed.