Why you walk: Powerful outcomes from TBBCF-funded breast cancer research
Research is key to finding a cure for breast cancer. Our mission is to help fund that scientific study with fellowship grants for researchers.
Much of that work over the years has been published in some of the world's most prestigious oncology journals. Here, a handful of some of our recently funded and published researchers talk about their TBBCF-funded work.
So, when walking in the annual TBBCF Walk for a Cure, or volunteering or fundraising, remember, this is why you do what you do for TBBCF.
Pearlman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Associate Researcher Bruno Barufaldi, PhD, received a TBBCF fellowship award in 2023 which helped fund the study Multiclass Segmentation of Breast Tissue and Suspicious Findings: A Simulation-Based Study for the Development of Self-Steering Tomosynthesis. One of two funded with TBBCF support, here he summarizes findings.
“The Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation supports the development of an innovative ‘self-steering method’ for breast cancer detection through next-generation tomosynthesis. This approach improves image quality and precision using simulations of X-ray breast imaging, potentially enhancing personalized cancer screening with improved accuracy. By integrating advanced imaging techniques and artificial intelligence, the project aims to tailor scanning motions to specific suspicious areas of high risk of ‘masking cancers,’ making the screening process more personalized and efficient. This research highlights the importance of continued support from TBBCF, whose contributions are essential for advancing cancer detection methods.”
Massachusetts General Hospital Medical Oncologist Clinical Director, Cancer Early Detection and Diagnostics Clinic, Douglas Micalizzi, MD. PhD, received a TBBCF research grant in 2021 which helped fund the study Targeting breast and pancreatic cancer metastasis using a dual-cadherin antibody. Here, he shares why TBBCF funding was vital in helping him complete important research experiments as a physician-scientist.
“I was honored to be awarded the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation grant. This award came at a critical time in my career development. As a physician-scientist with an expanding clinical practice, the support of my research with the TBBCF allowed me to maintain protected research time to complete the research experiments that led to the publication of my work. I believe that this work is an important contribution to our understanding of a new class of therapeutic based on antibody-drug conjugates. Without the TBBCF I would not have been able to complete this work which was critical to establishing my research footprint and ultimately my career trajectory. I am very grateful to the TBBCF for this critical support.”
Laura Spring, MD
Clinical/Translational Investigator, Breast Medical Oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Laura Spring, received a TBBCF fellowship grant in 2018 which helped fund the study Phase 1b clinical trial of ado-trastuzumab emtansine and ribociclib for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Here, she shares a summary of the clinical trial’s outcome.
“The trial focused on the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. It explored the combination of an approved drug for HER2+ disease, ado-trastuzumab emtansine, with a drug that is approved for hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, Ribociclib. Results showed the combination to be safe, and there was evidence of promising efficacy. Studying novel treatment combinations is critical to advancing the therapeutic options for breast cancer and philanthropy is critical to support these initiatives.”
*Doctor Spring was featured in a research video produced by Copper Pot Pictures in 2019.
University of California, San Francisco Assistant Professor of Medicine, Jennifer Rosenbluth, MD, PhD received a TBBCF Fellowship Award in 2021 which helped fund the study, A human breast atlas integrating single-cell proteomics and transcriptomics.
"To understand how to mitigate breast cancer risk, we first need to understand the cell types that are present in the human breast and how they are affected by cancer risk factors. My co-authors and I used a combination of single-cell high-resolution technologies to identify at the molecular level different cell types present in the breast tissues of patients. We identified cell types that were associated with specific risk states and grew the cells in the laboratory to determine which drugs could prevent breast cancers from developing. Our continuing work is identifying potential cancer prevention strategies for specific patient populations, and we believe this system can be used to identify many more candidate drug targets.
I am grateful to the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation for supporting this research, which provided insights and tools that have been shared with other researchers and that I continue to use for breast cancer prevention research in my recently established laboratory."
Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center Senior Research Scientist Jan Remsik, PharmD, PhD received a TBBCF fellowship award in 2020, which helped fund the study Inflammatory Leptomeningeal Cytokines Mediate COVID-19 Neurologic Symptoms in Cancer Patients. Here he shares findings in the TBBCF-supported research.
“Long COVID” is now well recognized as a series of persistent health problems experienced by some individuals after recovering from the acute phase of COVID-19. These chronic symptoms linger for weeks or even months after the resolution of the acute, infectious phase of COVID-19. At the onset of the pandemic, we observed an increased number of cancer patients manifesting protracted COVID-19 symptoms, significantly impacting their neurological functions. Thanks to the generous support from TBBCF and their willingness to back this transgression from our typical research efforts during these unprecedented times, we uncovered inflammatory changes in the cerebrospinal fluid of these patients and proposed an evidence-based strategy to manage these symptoms in a hospital setting.”
Assistant Professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Breast Cancer Program researcher at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Harvard Immunology researcher at Harvard Medical School, Jennifer Guerriero, PhD received a TBBCF research grant in 2020. That award helped fund the study, “Targeting immunosuppressive macrophages overcomes PARP inhibitor resistance in BRCA1-associated triple-negative breast cancer”, published in Nature Cancer.
Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) bearing mutations to their BRCA genes can be treated with a class of drugs known as PARP inhibitors, but in many patients, the drug stops working. Dr. Guerriero and her team discovered that PARP inhibitors can also help stimulate the body’s immune system to become activated and directly kill cancer cells.
They demonstrated that treating mice bearing aggressive BRCA-deficient TNBC tumors with a combination of PARP inhibitors and cytokine blocking antibodies resulted in a remarkable extension of the survival of the animals, suggesting a promising new therapeutic strategy.
“This work would not have been possible without the support from the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation. TBBCF provides unique funding, in that they fund high-risk, high-reward projects” Guerriero shared. “In addition, TBBCF enables critical funding for early-stage investigators, which is essential to ensure their success and advancement in their careers.”
Published March 15, 2024 with contributions from the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation Communications Team, Susan Logan, PhD, TBBCF Scientific Advisory Board, Associate Professor, New York University Medical Center and Ellyn Santiago, TBBCF Feature Writer.