Title: Multidisciplinary Investigation of Cellular and Microenvironment Alterations in Breast Cancer Initiation and Progression

Agency: DOD

PI: Dihua Yu and Rebecca Richards-Kortum, co PIs

Abstract: Two of the most promising approaches to reduce breast cancer mortality are to improve our ability to detect breast cancer at an early stage and to develop effective treatments for metastasis. A clear understanding of the early events leading to breast cancer initiation, and subsequent progression toward invasive/metastatic disease, may provide new opportunities to design effective early diagnosis and intervention strategies to prevent the devastating consequences of breast cancer invasion and metastases.   Understanding the interplay between mammary epithelial cells (MECs) and their extracellular microenvironment during early breast cancer initiation and progression is key to achieving these goals. The goal of this proposal is to study the interactions between transformed breast epithelial cells and their surrounding microenvironment, and to identify those interactions important in the initiation and progression of breast cancer. To address this important, under-explored area of breast cancer research, two well-established investigators, Dr. Yu (biomedicine, MDACC) and Dr. Richards-Kortum (bioengineering, Rice Univ.) will team up for the first time to develop biological models of early stages of breast cancer; and to develop and use novel imaging approaches to study molecular and cellular interactions in these models, with high spatial and temporal resolution.

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