How high triglycerides may help triple negative breast cancer grow and spread
Official title: Understanding how elevated triglycerides contribute to triple negative breast cancer growth and metastasis
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11171486 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether high blood triglyceride levels make triple negative breast cancer grow and spread faster, which could point to ways to help women with TNBC.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $483,969 |
| NIH project number | 5R37CA266853-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11171486 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, especially those with high blood triglyceride levels, would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with other types of breast cancer or without elevated triglycerides are less likely to benefit from findings focused specifically on TNBC and high triglycerides.
What this research studies
This project uses lab experiments and mouse models that mimic high triglyceride levels, kept separate from other metabolic problems, to see how TNBC tumors behave. The team measures blood lipids like VLDL, tumor lipid breakdown products, and tumor gene activity including PPAR and cholesterol-related pathways to identify molecular changes. Early mouse work showed faster tumor growth and more metastasis with high triglycerides, and the researchers will follow up on those findings to understand mechanisms. Results could suggest whether checking and lowering triglycerides might be helpful for women with TNBC.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to routine triglyceride testing and treatments that slow tumor growth and spread in women with TNBC.
How similar studies have gone: Epidemiological studies link high triglycerides to worse TNBC outcomes and preliminary mouse experiments show faster tumor growth, but clinical treatments targeting triglycerides for TNBC are largely untested.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gallagher, Emily Jane — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Gallagher, Emily Jane
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Stable, ultra-tight peptides to block EphB4 and stop TNBC spread
A new peptide-based approach aims to block a cancer molecule called EphB4 to prevent metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer, especially in African American women.
-
Understanding how high triglycerides may fuel certain breast cancers
High triglycerides may help triple negative breast cancer grow and spread, and this study looks at how that could happen in patients and models.
-
Stopping triple-negative breast cancer spread by targeting EYA3 and PP2A
Researchers are exploring whether blocking the EYA3/PP2A pathway can prevent triple-negative breast cancer from spreading and help the immune system fight the tumor.
-
How low PHGDH changes sugar metabolism to help triple‑negative breast cancer spread
This project looks at how low levels of the enzyme PHGDH change sialic acid sugar metabolism in ways that help triple‑negative breast cancer cells spread.
-
Stable, ultra‑high affinity peptides that block EphB4 to stop triple‑negative breast cancer from spreading
Designer peptides that latch onto the EphB4 protein are being developed to try to stop triple‑negative breast cancer from spreading, with attention to the higher risk seen in African American women.
-
Understanding how EYA3 and PP2A contribute to the spread of triple negative breast cancer
This study is looking at how a protein called EYA3, which is found in high amounts in triple negative breast cancer, works with another protein, PP2A, to see how they affect cancer spread and the immune system, with the hope of finding new treatment options for this tough-to-treat cancer.
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.