Our lab received level 2 breakthrough award from Department of Defense to study the function of TNBC-specific BCL2L14-ETV6 fusions
Our lab is awarded Breakthrough Level 2 Award from the Congressionally Directed Breast Cancer Research Program of the Department of Defense, the second break-through award we received in a consecutive year. This award will support the study of BCL2L14-ETV6 fusions in more aggressive and chemo-resistant triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and examine their function in cancer progression and immunotherapy resistance. Recurrent gene fusions that bring together two gene pieces comprise a class of viable genetic targets that have been matched with several latest breakthrough therapies in solid tumors as exemplified by the ALK targeted therapy against ALK fusions and the first FDA-approved tumor-agnostic drug against NTRK fusions. The pathological roles of this class of genetic aberrations in breast cancer progression remain ill understood due to the complex rearrangements in their genomes. In 2020, our lab published our discovery of BCL2L14-ETV6 fusion as the first TNBC-specific genetic aberration. Studying the function of BCL2L14-ETV6 fusion in TNBC progression and immune evasion will shed new light on a dark area of breast cancer genetics, reveal unique, exploitable vulnerabilities, as well as enlighten new immunotherapeutic strategies. This project represents a transformative concept in breast cancer genetics interfacing with anti-tumor immune response that has significant game-changing potential.
Read more about BCL2L14-ETV6 fusion.
