Targeting how mechanical stress drives EMT and immune suppression in triple-negative breast cancer
Official title: ATR: targeting mechanical stress induced EMT and immune suppression in triple negative breast cancer
Funded at Mayo Clinic Rochester · NIH-11384665 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A Mayo Clinic-led study aims to understand how physical forces in the tumor environment push triple-negative breast cancer cells to become more invasive and less visible to the immune system, with goals to find new ways to stop this resistance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $369,203 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA272602-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11384665 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with triple-negative breast cancer, especially those with tumors showing mesenchymal features and resistance to therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with TNBC not involving the studied pathways or who cannot participate in mechanistic studies may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This project looks at how stiffened tissue and mechanical signals influence cancer cells to undergo EMT, making TNBC more aggressive and harder to treat. Researchers will study ATR, a protein involved in DNA damage responses, and how it is affected by mechanical stress and a regulator called USP21. The team plans to connect mechanical cues to changes in cell behavior and immune evasion, with the aim of identifying potential new targets for therapy. The work involves lab experiments on cancer cells and tissue samples to map the signaling pathways that drive resistance. If successful, findings could point to strategies that sensitize TNBC to treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could reveal new targets to overcome therapeutic resistance in TNBC and improve patient outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggest ATR is linked to treatment resistance in TNBC, but the specific mechanical-stress–driven mechanism is still being explored.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mutter, Robert W. — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Mutter, Robert W.
Related research
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-
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Researchers will study how dormant cancer cells in liver and skin metastases of triple-negative breast cancer become quiescent or wake up, using organ-on-chip models and single-cell analysis to map chromatin states.
-
Rac-enhanced CAR-Macrophages against TNBC
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-
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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.