Overcoming Resistance to Targeted Therapy in Breast Cancer
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11396553 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying why some breast cancers stop responding to targeted therapies and what can be done to overcome this resistance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 20, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2032 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,056,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R35CA305347-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11396553 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with luminal or metastatic breast cancer who are treated with targeted therapies and may have or develop resistance.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancers do not show resistance pathways or who cannot access the proposed new therapies may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at why metastatic breast cancer becomes resistant to ER, HER2, PI3K, and CDK4/6 targeted drugs. It uses clinic-genomic data, advanced cancer models, and pharmacology to identify resistance mechanisms like ESR1 mutations, PTEN loss, and TP53 loss, and to test potential new strategies such as oral SERDs. The study aims to map when resistance occurs and compare patients with long-term disease control to those who develop resistance. The ultimate goal is to guide more effective, personalized treatments for breast cancer patients who relapse on current therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new biomarkers and therapies that delay or overcome treatment resistance.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has identified specific resistance mechanisms, but ongoing plasticity of breast cancer suggests this remains a promising and partially proven area.
Where this research is happening
-
Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chandarlapaty, Sarat — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Chandarlapaty, Sarat
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Enhancing HER2-targeted therapy for resistant breast cancer
This grant explores new ways to overcome resistance to HER2-targeted therapy in people with HER2-positive breast cancer.
-
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Making HDAC6-targeted treatments work better for breast cancer
This work looks at how blocking HDAC6 affects breast cancers and finds which patients are most likely to benefit.
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Improving Targeted Therapy for Triple Negative Breast Cancer
This project aims to develop a new way to deliver targeted medicines directly to triple-negative breast cancer tumors using special RNA molecules.
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Using PET imaging to understand glutamine metabolism in triple-negative breast cancer
This study is looking at how a substance called glutamine affects triple-negative breast cancer to find better ways to treat it, using special imaging to see how much glutamine is in the cancer cells and helping doctors choose the best therapies for patients.
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Understanding how HDAC6 affects breast cancer treatment responses
This study is looking at how a protein called HDAC6 affects breast cancer treatment, hoping to find out which patients might do better with new therapies that target this protein, so they can get more effective care.
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.