TOP STORIES

Gene Signature for Cancer Stem Cells May Provide Drug Targets
A subset of tumor cells that remain after a woman with breast cancer undergoes treatment with either anti-cancer or anti-hormone therapy shows a "gene signature" that could be used to define targets for developing new drugs against the disease. [Baylor College of Medicine, Houston]

 
SPECIAL FEATURE

Mammary Stem Cells:  Learn Cutting-Edge, Robust Functional Assays to Evaluate MaSCs 
STEMCELL Technologies is offering a 2-day Mammary Stem Cell Training Course that provides hands-on instruction in the dissection, culture, identification and enumeration of mammary stem and progenitor cells.
October 17-18, 2009, Vancouver, Canada
View Curriculum  /  Register

Scientists Find Common Trigger in Cancer and Normal Stem Cell Production
Researchers showed that increasing the amount miR-200c strongly suppressed the ability of both breast cancer stem cells and normal breast stem cells to divide and reproduce. [Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford]

Breakthrough Breast Cancer Scientists Reveal New Sensitive Method For Identifying Additional Women Who Could Benefit From Herceptin
Study suggests that the way in which HER2 positive breast cancers are currently identified may miss a small number of patients that could benefit from targeted therapies against HER2. [Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Edinburgh]

Breastfeeding Reduces Risk of Breast Cancer In Women With A Family History Of The Disease
According to this new study, women with a family history of breast cancer were 59 percent less likely to develop breast cancer themselves if they breastfed their children. [Chapel Hill School of Medicine, North Carolina]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Downregulation of miRNA-200c Links Breast Cancer Stem Cells with Normal Stem Cells
In this study, miR-200c strongly suppressed the ability of normal mammary stem cells to form mammary ducts and tumor formation driven by human breast cancer stem cells in vivo.  [Cell]

A Role for the TGFß-Par6 Polarity Pathway in Breast Cancer Progression
Research demonstrated that Par6 activation correlated with markers of the basal carcinoma subtype in BRCA1-associated tumors, thus reveal a key role for polarity signaling and the control of morphologic transformation in breast cancer metastasis. [PNAS]

Smad3 Is a Key Nonredundant Mediator of Transforming Growth Factor ß Signaling in Nme Mouse Mammary Epithelial Cells
This study identifies Smad3 as a key factor to trigger TGFß-regulated events and ascribes tumor suppressor as well as oncogenic activities to this protein. [Mol Cancer Res]

NF-kB Activation, Dependent on Acetylation/Deacetylation, Contributes to HIF-1 Activity and Migration of Bone Metastatic Breast Carcinoma Cells
This study suggests that acetylation/deacetylation are critical in establishing the bone-metastatic gene signature of 1833 metastatic cells by regulating the activity of NF-kB and HIF-1. [Mol Cancer Res]

Upregulation of Lactate Dehydrogenase A by ErbB2 Through Heat Shock Factor 1 Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Glycolysis and Growth
This study shows that in human breast cancer cells, ErbB2 promotes glycolysis at least partially through the HSF1-mediated upregulation of LDH-A. [Oncogene]

Krüppel-Like Factor 5 Promotes Breast Cell Proliferation Partially Through Upregulating the Transcription of Fibroblast Growth Factor Binding Protein 1
This research suggests that KLF5 may promote breast cancer cell proliferation at least partially through directly activating the FGF-BP mRNA transcription. [Oncogene]

Utility of DNA Repair Protein Foci for the Detection of Putative BRCA1 Pathway Defects in Breast Cancer Biopsies
This pilot study demonstrated a potentially powerful biomarker assay for the detection of pre-existing and functionally important defects within the complex FA/BRCA pathway, which may ultimately allow for tailoring of cancer treatment to the DNA repair profile of individual tumors. [Mol Cancer Res]

Novel Mechanism of Lapatinib Resistance in HER2-Positive Breast Tumor Cells: Activation of AXL
The data provide scientific evidence to assess the expression of AXL in HER2-positive, ER-positive patients who have progressed on either lapatinib or trastuzumab and to test the combination of HER2-targeted agents and GSK1363089 in the clinic. [Cancer Res]

PIK3CA Mutation Associates with Improved Outcome in Breast Cancer
This study defines the positive prognostic significance of PIK3CA mutations and will significantly affect the design of clinical trials planned for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-targeted therapy. [Clin Cancer Res]

Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis Are Downregulated in Primary Breast Cancer
This study suggests that primary breast tumors are not a site of highly active angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. [Br J Cancer]

Antisoma Announces Discontinuation of Development of AS1402
Antisoma plc announced that the phase II trial of AS1402 in breast cancer is to be discontinued as the trial would be very unlikely to give sufficiently positive efficacy findings.

POLICY NEWS

Reminder of NIH Requirements for Submission of Financial, Administrative, and Scientific Closeout Reports in a Timely and Accurate Fashion (NOT-OD-09-128)

Events

Next Generation Comprehensive Breast Centers of Excellence
September 29-October 2, 2009
Baltimore, MD, United States

2009 National Cancer Research Institute Conference
October 4-7, 2009
Birmingham, United Kingdom

Global Breast Cancer Conference
October 8-10, 2009
Seoul, South Korea

Gordon Research Conference - Stem Cells and Cancer
September 13-18, 2009
Les Diablerets, Switzerland

AACR - Advances in Breast Cancer Research
October 13-16, 2009
San Diego, CA, United States

32nd Annual CTRC - AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
December 9-13, 2009
San Antonio, TX

Gordon Research Conference - Mammary Gland Biology
June 6-11, 2010
Lucca (Barga), Italy

The 21st Meeting of the European Association for Cancer Research
June 26-29, 2010
Oslo, Norway

Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community.

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