Biotech News - TGen Awarded Role in $10 million Breast Cancer Project

TGen Awarded Role in $10 million Breast Cancer Project

Department of Defense grant focuses on developing a new treatment
model for breast cancer

10-14-2006

Phoenix, AZ, September 14, 2006--The Translational Genomics Research
Institute (TGen) has been awarded a primary role in a multi-year,
multi-institutional, $10.7 million grant from the Department of
Defense (DoD) Breast Cancer Research Program. In collaboration with
principal investigators at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) in
Philadelphia, the grant is focused on developing a new treatment
model for breast cancer to reverse resistance to anti-estrogen
therapy.
Dr. Heather Cunliffe, head of TGen's Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Research Unit, will collaborate with world-renown breast cancer
expert, Dr. V. Craig Jordan, Vice President and Scientific Director
of Medical Science at FCCC. Dr. Jordan is known his seminal work
that led to the validation of tamoxifen as the first-ever drug to
prevent breast cancer. Used for breast cancer treatment since the
1970s, tamoxifen is also the most widely used drug to treat the
disease.

Although considerable advances in the treatment of breast cancer
have been made during the past 30 years, a significant proportion of
patients who receive anti-estrogen therapies will eventually become
resistant to this type of treatment.

"This grant is a first step in trying to figure out why breast
tumors become resistant to anti-hormone therapy," said Dr. Heather
Cunliffe, head of TGen's Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research
Unit. "Genomic technology, which can measure the behavior of tumors
at a very high resolution, will allow us to develop tests to predict
ahead of time whether a patient will fail anti-hormone therapy or is
likely to acquire resistance to this type of therapy. For a woman
who unfortunately progresses and develops recurrent drug-resistant
breast cancer, we are optimistic our discoveries will identify ways
to reactivate therapeutic sensitivity."

The research conducted under the five-year DoD grant is supported by
preliminary findings that suggest there may indeed be a way to re-
trigger breast tumor cells to become responsive to therapy. The
ultimate goal of the study is to leverage the knowledge of
measurable similarities shared by drug-resistant breast cancers and
translate that knowledge into more accurate prognostic tests and
patient-tailored treatments.

TGen will collaborate with FCCC and Georgetown University in
Washington, DC, to precisely map the genetic and biological events
associated with breast tumor cells that may or may not be sensitive
to anti-estrogen drugs. The results will be analyzed to identify
patterns consistent with resistance to various anti-hormone
therapies. A team at Johns Hopkins University will then conduct
phase I and II clinical studies to evaluate these consistent
patterns prospectively.

"Metastatic breast cancer remains a devastating disease, and TGen's
focus on hormone resistance is a key place to focus our efforts. Dr.
Cunliffe's opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Jordan and
colleagues, could change the way we look at and treat breast
cancer," said TGen President and Scientific Director, Dr. Jeffrey
Trent.

# # #

About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a non-profit
501(c)(3) organization focused on developing earlier diagnostics and
smarter treatments. Translational genomics research is a relatively
new field employing innovative advances arising from the Human
Genome Project and applying them to the development of diagnostics,
prognostics and therapies for cancer, neurological disorders,
diabetes and other complex diseases. TGen's research is based on
personalized medicine. The institute plans to accomplish its goals
through robust and disease-focused research.

About Fox Chase
Fox Chase Cancer Center was founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as the
nation's first cancer hospital. In 1974, Fox Chase became one of the
first institutions designated as a National Cancer Institute
Comprehensive Cancer Center. Fox Chase conducts basic, clinical,
population and translational research; programs of prevention,
detection and treatment of cancer; and community outreach. For more
information about Fox Chase activities, visit the Center's web site
at www.fccc.edu or call 1-888-FOX CHASE.

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