Breast Cancer Research Program

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Project Summary The Breast Cancer Program of the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) was formally established in 1994 and has been continuously approved by the NCI since 1999. The Program is currently led by Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE, an expert in clinical trials and translational biomarker research who has served as a Co-Leader since 2005, and Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD, who has a complementary background in breast cancer biology (focusing on BRCA-dependent DNA repair) and genetic susceptibility. Dr. Greenberg recently replaced Dr. Chodosh, the ACC's AD for Basic Research, who continues to be an active member. Members of the Program are focused on understanding the underlying causes of breast cancer to improve the detection, prevention, and treatment of this disease. They work together to achieve this goal by focusing on four key scientific areas: 1) Elucidation of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of breast cancer development and progression; 2) Improvements in genetic risk assessment and development of novel prevention strategies; 3) Development of innovative imaging approaches to improve breast cancer detection and the assessment of therapeutic response; and 4) Translation of laboratory discoveries to novel therapeutics and biomarkers of response and outcome. Members are highly interactive, as reflected in their leadership of multiple collaborative grants, including an NCI U01, an NCI U54, a Department of Defense (DOD) Breast Cancer Center of Excellence, a DOD Idea Award, the Basser Center for BRCA, the 2-PREVENT Breast Cancer Translational Center of Excellence and numerous interdisciplinary translational clinical trials. In addition to facilitating intra- and inter- Programmatic collaborations, Program Leadership has emphasized breast cancer translational research as a major focus, implementing a breast cancer biospecimen bank and database, recruiting external faculty with important new expertise to the Program, and holding or participating in major ACC retreats that emphasize breast cancer research. The ACC's investment in clinical research, particularly the interdisciplinary Rena Rowan Breast Center, has facilitated patient-oriented research. The Program consists of 19 members from eight departments in the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences. These members have $9M in cancer-related grant funding (annual direct costs), of which $7.5M is peer-reviewed and $4.6M is NCI-funded. During the current project period, members published 316 cancer-related papers, of which 9% were the result of intra-Programmatic collaborations, 51% were the result of inter-Programmatic collaborations, and 34% were multi-institutional.