$3 million research grant to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and UT Health San Antonio to study BRCA therapy
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute shared on LinkedIn:
“Scientists at Dana-Farber’s Center for BRCA and Related Genes in collaboration with the UT Health San Antonio were recently awarded a $3 million program project grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The grant will support their research into BRCA1, BRCA2, and other genes that normally suppress cell growth but, when mutated, can set the stage for cancer.
A better understanding of the connection between these mutations and cancer will be critical to the development of new and better therapies.
Dana-Farber’s Dipanjan Chowdhury, PhD, and Panos Konstantinopoulos, PhD, will lead research under the new grant.
Previous research into the ways that inherited mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, and other genes can increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer has led to highly effective treatments that work in most patients. Still, many patients develop a recurrence of their cancer, which can be especially difficult to treat.
Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 not only increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer but other cancers as well, including prostate and pancreatic cancer and melanoma. Such mutations affect 1 in every 200 to 300 people, amounting to more than one million carriers in the United States alone.
Current treatments, such as FDA-approved drugs known as PARP inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy are effective for most patients.
Understanding the processes that cause resistance to these drugs is vital for choosing the best treatment for each patient and devising more effective therapies.”