Advancing treatments and tests for metastatic breast cancer
Translational Research in Breast Cancer
This program develops new targeted therapies and better blood- and tumor-based tests to help people with metastatic breast cancer find treatments that work and catch resistance early.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11397967 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This SPORE program at Baylor brings together multiple projects and shared cores to speed translation of lab findings into early clinical use. Teams will use protein-and-gene (proteogenomic) analyses of tumors and blood to identify drug targets and resistance pathways. They will develop and validate biomarkers for trial eligibility and monitoring, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). The program also tests approaches to boost tumor-infiltrating immune cells and explores new treatments for cancers driven by MYC or by loss of tumor suppressors like PTPN12 and NF1, with results embedded into early-phase clinical trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with metastatic breast cancer who can provide tumor or blood samples and who may have tumors with PTPN12 or NF1 loss or MYC-driven features, and who are willing to enroll in early-phase clinical studies.
Not a fit: Patients with only early-stage breast cancer or whose tumors lack the specific molecular features targeted by these projects may not directly benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce more personalized treatment options, better tests to match patients to therapies, and ways to detect and overcome treatment resistance for people with metastatic breast cancer.
How similar studies have performed: Techniques like ctDNA/CTC monitoring and targeted kinase inhibitors have shown promise in other work, but strategies to target tumor-suppressor loss and MYC-positive tumors remain more experimental.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- Baylor College of Medicine — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Xiang — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Xiang
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.