Stopping RET-driven breast cancer spread to the brain
Official title: Understanding and overcoming resistance of breast cancer brain metastases to RET inhibition
Funded at Texas A&m University Health Science Ctr · NIH-11333968 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether blocking the RET protein can slow or stop breast cancer that has spread to the brain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas A&m University Health Science Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Station, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $305,710 |
| NIH project number | 7R21CA286225-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11333968 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain, particularly those whose tumors show RET activation or who might be considered for RET-directed therapy, would be most relevant.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without brain metastases or whose tumors do not show RET activation are unlikely to benefit directly from this specific research.
What this research studies
If you have breast cancer that has spread to the brain, this project aims to find why RET-targeting drugs sometimes stop working. Researchers will analyze public breast cancer data and use lab models, including mouse models, to identify genes and pathways that remain active when RET is blocked. They will test whether combining RET inhibitors with other treatments can overcome resistance and reach tumors behind the blood–brain barrier. Although preclinical, the findings could point to new drug combinations to try in people with brain metastases from breast cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify new drug targets or combinations that make RET-directed therapies more effective against breast cancer brain metastases.
How similar studies have gone: RET inhibitors have been effective in thyroid and lung cancers and reduced brain metastases in lung cancer trials, but applying RET-targeting approaches to breast cancer brain metastases is relatively new and largely untested.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas A&m University Health Science Ctr
College Station, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lo, Hui-Wen — Texas A&m University Health Science Ctr
- Study coordinator: Lo, Hui-Wen
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Rational approaches to improve treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the brain
Aimed at boosting how well a HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate works for people whose breast cancer has spread to the brain.
-
Understanding how brain metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer is shaped by tumor-immune interactions
A patient-focused program aims to learn why TNBC spreads to the brain and how the immune system interacts with those cancer cells, with a focus on women of African ancestry.
-
Following neural stem cells that target breast cancer spread in the brain
Researchers will build high-resolution, non-invasive imaging to watch therapeutic neural stem cells move to breast cancer brain metastases to support better-targeted treatments for patients.
-
Better drug delivery for breast cancer that has spread to the brain
New methods to deliver cancer-fighting drugs into the brain for people whose breast cancer has spread there.
-
Tracking how neural stem cells move to brain tumors in breast cancer patients
This study is looking at how special brain cells called neural stem cells move towards tumors in the brains of breast cancer patients, with the hope of using these cells to deliver better treatments directly to the tumors.
-
Improving treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the brain
Trying antibody-drug combinations and immune-targeting drugs to help people with HER2-positive or HER2-low breast cancer that has spread to the brain.
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.