Research & Impact

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is not one disease, but a group of diseases that we are only beginning to understand. Research by SAMUEL APARICIO, BM, BCh, PhD, FRCPath FRSC, Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada showed distinct patterns in the structure of chromosomes in many triple negative breast cancers. In the last year, Dr. Aparicio and his team have conducted a phase 1 clinical study to test one of these drugs and showed that this agent holds promise and warrants further investigation.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ North American Research & Development and Manufacturing Award

In a unique collaboration at UCLA, Professors JULIENNE E. BOWER, PhD and STEVEN W. COLE, PhD, are studying the role that stress and the immune system play in cancer. They have shown that stress-induced changes in tumor biology can be blocked by stimulating the brain's reward system. In addition, they have developed and optimized an online version of their mindfulness-based intervention for breast cancer survivors. They have demonstrated that this intervention is effective in reducing depression, enhancing well-being, and improving tumor-relevant immune processes in younger breast cancer survivors. In the next year, they will continue to analyze the results of their preclinical studies and define the biological pathways through which psychological and social processes impact breast tumor biology. They will also expand the novel digital approaches for delivering these interventions to larger and more diverse groups of women.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Play for P.I.N.K. Award/The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign Award

Black women in the United States are much more likely to die from their breast cancer when compared to all other racial and ethnic groups. There are many factors influencing this disparity, including a lack of representation in clinical trials. For her Conquer Cancer Advanced Clinical Research Award, supported by BCRF, Dr. Charlot, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and her team are developing ways to prepare Black breast cancer patients to engage with their providers to discuss participation in clinical trials. In the last year, they have established an advisory council of research partners called Sisters CREATE (Cancer Research Equity & Advocacy Through Engagement), and an advisory council known as the LEGACY Partners (Lived Experiences Guiding research advocacy). Together with these partners, Dr. Charlot has developed an interview guide and conducted the first interviews. The results will help guide the creation of a mobile health application (“app”) to help connect Black patients with breast cancer clinical trials.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ Beauty Perks North America Online Award

In order for tumors to grow and spread, tumor cells have to reprogram normal processes to support their abnormal growth and evade detection by the body’s immune system. They do this by changing the activity of genes that regulate growth processes. H. SHELTON EARP, MD, Director of Cancer Care at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, identified genes and proteins that have become dysregulated and is exploiting these findings to identify new targets for drug development. Dr. Earp and his colleagues will continue to build on these discoveries and assess how the factors work to allow immune cells to effectively target tumor cells. Their studies will potentially provide novel strategies to improve response to immunotherapies in advanced breast cancers.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Awards

Patients are living longer after breast cancer, because of more effective therapies. These lifesaving therapies, however, can have long-term side effects that diminish quality of life after therapy Iincluding loss of brain function, a condition sometimes called “chemobrain.” PATRICIA A. GANZ, MD, a BCRF Scientific Advisor and the Director of Cancer Prevention & Control Research at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, is conducting a series of studies aimed at understanding how cancer therapies affect cognitive function and other factors related to quality of life. Dr. Ganz and her colleagues have continued to study a group of women after the end of treatment, and their reports have provided a rich source of information that has been helpful to patients and clinicians in understanding what to expect after treatment. Dr. Ganz and her team also initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the role of inflammation in cognitive changes after endocrine therapy. In the last year, the team has refined the clinical trial design to limit the number of in-person visits and are actively recruiting breast cancer survivors with moderate cognitive complaints.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Awards

Women of African descent are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive breast cancers than white women and more likely to die from their disease. Additionally, women in remote or low-resource areas have limited access to screening or genetic testing, compounding the challenge of reducing breast cancer deaths in women of African descent. FUNMI F. OLOPADE, MB, BS, FACP, Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics, University of Chicago, has created an international program in Sub-Sahara Africa to study the causes of breast cancer and to create an infrastructure to ensure that high-risk women get quality preventive screening and treatment. She and her University of Chicago colleagues have made tremendous progress in closing this knowledge gap through ther Nigeria Breast Cancer Study (NBCS), which aims to improve the quality of breast cancer care in underserved low-resource communities through rigorous science and technology. Dr. Olopade is expanding her studies to more and more areas of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ Brands Awards in Memory of Evelyn H. Lauder

Metaplastic breast cancers are rare and aggressive forms of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). JORGE REIS-FILHO, MD, PhD, FRCPath, Director of Experimental Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is investigating metaplastic tumors and shown that they differ from the common types of TNBC in that their cells can differentiate to look like other tissues not normally found in the breast, such as cartilage and bone. In addition, his team has shown that, also unlike common types of TNBCs, metaplastic breast cancers rarely respond to chemotherapy, have a distinct immune tumor microenvironment, and likely different types of DNA repair defects, despite harboring similar mutations. Dr. Reis-Filho and his team are delving into the factors that make metaplastic tumors unique and hope to identify novel strategies to treat these aggressive breast cancers.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies’ North America Research & Development and Manufacturing Award

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide, with low-income and low-resource communities bearing a significant burden of deaths. Lack of screening and follow-up increase the chance that a woman will be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and may not get quality treatment. LAWRENCE SHULMAN, MD, Deputy Director of Clinical Services at the University of Pennsylvania and BCRF co-investigator, CYPRIEN SHYIRAMBERE, MMED, Director of Oncology Partners in Health, Butaro Hospital are changing this statistic in rural area hospitals in Rwanda with emphasis on training and infrastructure to increase early detection and reduce time to treatment. With early successes reported, they are continuing to expand these efforts to more sites in Rwanda as well as implement their findings in underserved areas in the U.S. such as the larger Philadelphia area.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies Employee Fundraising Awards

DNA damage is usually recognized and repaired so that cells can continue to grow normally. However, in breast cancer cells with inherited mutations in genes such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, the ability to repair damaged DNA is impaired. This vulnerability in cancer cells has been exploited to develop treatments. Although these drugs work in patients with gene mutations, in many patients the treatment stops working. ANDREW TUTT, MB, ChB,PhD, Institute of Cancer Research UK, and his team are focused on understanding drug resistance to prevent it or design new ways to target it particularly those with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

Their research is generously made possible by:

The Estée Lauder Companies' UK & Ireland Award in honor of Elizabeth Hurley