Understanding how triple negative breast cancer adapts after chemotherapy
Official title: Metabolic adaptation in residual triple negative breast cancer following chemotherapy
Funded at Baylor College of Medicine · NIH-10988230 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how triple negative breast cancer cells adapt their energy use to survive after chemotherapy, and it aims to find new ways to target these changes to help improve treatment for patients like you.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | December 27, 2022 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $410,936 |
| NIH project number | 5R37CA269783-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-10988230 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy and have residual tumor cells.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-triple negative breast cancer or those who have not received chemotherapy may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells change their metabolism to survive after chemotherapy treatment. By examining tumor samples from patients before and after chemotherapy, the study aims to identify specific changes in mitochondrial function that contribute to treatment resistance. The researchers will use patient-derived models to explore these metabolic adaptations and test potential therapies that target these vulnerabilities. This approach could lead to new strategies for eliminating residual cancer cells and improving patient outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective treatments for patients with residual triple negative breast cancer after chemotherapy.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that targeting metabolic pathways in cancer cells can be effective, suggesting that this approach may yield promising results.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Echeverria, Gloria Vittone — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Echeverria, Gloria Vittone
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Mitochondrial gene therapy plus targeted chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer
A new approach combines modifying cancer cell powerhouses with a targeted chemotherapy strategy to help people with triple-negative breast cancer.
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Targeting mitochondrial energy in triple-negative breast cancer that remains after chemo
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Combining gene therapy and chemotherapy to treat aggressive breast cancer
This study is exploring a new way to treat triple-negative breast cancer by using a combination of gene therapy and special chemotherapy to target the energy centers of cancer cells, with the hope of making treatments work better and stopping the cancer from becoming resistant to drugs.
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Finding the best radiotherapy dose to use with immunotherapy for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer
This study is looking for the best amount of radiation therapy to use alongside immunotherapy and chemotherapy for people with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, to help improve their treatment results.
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This project compares different radiation doses given before surgery together with chemotherapy and pembrolizumab for people with early-stage, node-positive triple-negative breast cancer to find the safest and most helpful approach.
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Genomic study to understand how genetics and epigenetics shape triple-negative breast cancer in African ancestry
This study looks at how inherited genes and gene activity affect triple-negative breast cancer in people of African ancestry to better understand why outcomes can be worse.
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.