Elucidating the role of JAM-B in breast cancer and angiogenesis

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK, but how angiogenesis is regulated in breast cancer is unknown. The growth of blood vessels into tumours (angiogenesis) is essential for cancer growth, and anti-angiogenic therapy is an important new strategy to treat cancer. Interestingly, women with Down Syndrome very rarely develop breast cancer, possibly as a result of the presence of three copies of chromosome 21. We will determine how three copies of chromosome 21 suppresses breast cancer angiogenesis. I will focus upon the involvement of a specific chromosome 21 molecule, termed JAM-B, which we already have evidence for a role in angiogenesis. I will use both clinical material and experimental mouse models. This research will help us to understand the disease better and possibly lead to the development of therapies to inhibit breast cancer progression.