New Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Jane Visvader, will today describe her work that has led to the identification of new therapeutic targets for breast cancer, currently being tested in pre-clinical models.
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy to affect Australian women and a leading contributor to cancer-related illness.
In a remarkable discovery, Professor Jane Visvader and her team from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research identified and isolated the stem cell that generates the entire breast. They went on to discover that certain types of breast cancer originate from specific parent cells.
“Molecular analyses have indicated novel strategies to switch off stem cells in individuals at high risk of developing breast cancer,” said Professor Visvader.
Her team analysed precancerous tissue from women carrying a BRCA1 mutation and discovered that the daughter cells predisposed these women to breast cancer.
“The luminal progenitor cell was discovered to be the culprit that gives rise to breast cancer arising in BRCA1 mutation carriers who are prone to developing clinically aggressive breast cancer,” said Professor Visvader.
This work has shed light on the relationships between normal breast and tumour cells and revealed new therapeutic targets.
Professor Visvader will present her work at the Shine Dome in Canberra today at 3.15 pm, as part of the Academy’s annual Science at the Shine Dome event.
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