How the EPHA2 protein responds to tumor stiffness in breast cancer
EPHA2 Receptor Signaling in Breast Cancer Mechanotransduction
This work explores whether switching EPHA2 signaling can keep breast cancer cells from becoming invasive when the tumor tissue becomes stiff.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11212116 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This research looks at a protein called EPHA2 and how it senses the stiffness of the tissue around breast tumors and helps cancer cells change and spread. Scientists will use biochemical tests and breast cancer cells grown in flat dishes and in 3D tissue-like gels that mimic a stiff tumor environment. They will then test effects in mouse xenograft models to see whether turning EPHA2's canonical signaling on can block invasion and metastasis. The combined lab and animal work aims to reveal whether activating EPHA2 could act like a brake on stiffness-driven cancer spread.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with breast cancer—especially those with aggressive or high-risk tumors or tumors that express EPHA2—would be the most relevant candidates for future therapies arising from this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose tumors do not express EPHA2 or whose cancer is driven by unrelated mechanisms may not benefit from EPHA2-targeted approaches.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to new ways to prevent or reduce breast cancer invasion and metastasis by targeting EPHA2 signaling.
How similar studies have performed: Early laboratory and animal studies, including the investigators' prior work, suggest EPHA2 signaling can limit invasion, but translating this into human treatments has not yet been proven.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pasquale, Elena B — Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
- Study coordinator: Pasquale, Elena B
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.