Elucidating the role of CD24 as a therapeutic target for prevention of breast cancer progression

• Applicant: Dr. Niko Poppo Bretz
• Subject Area: Gynaecology and Obstetrics ; Hematology, Oncology ; Cell Biology
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 251766946

Even years or decades after removal of their primary tumor, breast cancer patients can suffer from recurrent metastatic disease, indicating that tumor cells have disseminated prior to surgery. These cells are resistant to common therapeutic approaches and remain undetected and indolent in distant organs until they become activated and grow out into overt metastases.Sytemic factors of the host macroenvironment have been indicated to trigger the escape from indolence in disseminated breast cancer cells and promote the vascularization and outgrowth of metastases. As a hallmark of this systemic instigation, the expression of the cell surface molecule CD24 was described in activated indolent tumors. CD24 expression was previously associated with adverse prognostic parameters and correlated with increased malignant potential in breast cancer, raising the possibility that CD24 plays a specific role in metastasis. However, the contribution of CD24 to metastatic outgrowth is not known. We hypothesize that CD24 is a prerequisite for the outgrowth and malignancy of indolent breast tumors. We will investigate the role of CD24 in the break of indolence. Furthermore, we plan to examine the contribution of systemic factors to CD24 expression and outgrowth of indolent tumors. Identification of systemic drivers for tumor outgrowth and CD24 expression will help unraveling underlying mechanisms of metastasis progression and developing new therapy strategies for the treatment of recurrent metastatic disease.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professorin Dr. Sandra McAllister