UMass Chan professor receives $2.6M for research targeting radiation resistant breast cancer
Photo I Courtesy of UMass Chan Medical School
Arthur Mercurio is a professor of molecular, cell, and cancer biology at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester.
A researcher at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester has been awarded $2.6 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop a therapeutic treatment to address radiation resistance in triple-negative breast cancer.
Arthur Mercurio, professor of molecular, cell, and cancer biology, will lead the UMass Chan research team in utilizing monoclonal antibodies to overcome radiation resistance, targeting specific tumors present in the cancer, according to a Monday press release from the school.
“There are different types of tumor cells within a tumor. Some are more aggressive than others. When you treat a solid tumor with radiation therapy, you kill a large fraction of the cells. But the cells that remain are the ones that later go on to metastasize and cause problems. We are focused on this population of tumor cells that resist therapy,” Mercurio said in the release. He continued, “What we’ve shown is that when you combine radiation with this antibody, you get much more marked tumor regression than you would have traditionally. As part of this whole process, we’ve worked out the mechanism by which this pathway promotes resistance to therapy.”
Accounting for approximately 10% to 15% of all breast cancers, triple-negative breast cancer grows and spreads faster than other forms of breast cancer and has fewer treatment options, according to the American Cancer Society. It is most prevalent amongst women under 40, who are Black, or who have a BRCA1 mutation.
“Receiving this award is an endorsement of the quality and the impact of the work we are doing. It allows us to continue and expand our collaborative efforts on campus,” Mercurio said in the release.
The Mercurio lab’s research is being conducted by Ayush Kumar, MD and PHD student; Hira Goel, assistant professor of molecular, cell and cancer biology; and Mengdie Wang, postdoctoral associate. The lab is working with UMass Chan Chair and Professor of radiation oncology Thomas Fitzgerald and his team.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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