Research Initiative to Improve Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn; Philadelphia, PA, USA) has recently been chosen to become a member of the U.S. National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Mouse Models of Human Cancers Consortium (MMHCC; Frederick, MD, USA).

As a member of the Consortium, the Penn team of scientists' strategy is to develop conceptual and technical approaches for determining the processes of breast tumor progression and metastasis. To achieve this goal, they will utilize a wide range of state-of-the-art molecular and cellular imaging methods to assess a series of novel, genetically engineered mouse models of breast cancer. "This type of endeavor requires a group of scientists with a tremendous breadth of knowledge and expertise, which this grant has allowed us to assemble,” stated Lewis A. Chodosh, M.D., Ph.D., vice chair, department of cancer biology, at the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn. Dr. Chodosh.

The Penn MMHCC team will specifically use a wide-ranging array of advanced technologies including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and ultrasound to visualize and track tumor cells in living animals from their origins to their gradual progression to distant metastasis and recurrence.

The technology will also be utilized to evaluate tumor response to therapy and to predict clinical outcomes. The mouse models to be used in this project are distinctive in that the investigators can follow the complete natural history in each animal--from the initial onset to response to therapy, tumor dormancy, and ultimately, metastasis and recurrence.

Advanced stages of tumor progression, typified by resistance to therapeutic drugs, metastasis, and tumor recurrence, are responsible for most of cancer deaths. Whereas tumor progression, however, comprises a problem of incredible clinical significance, the underlying processes are basically unknown. Understanding more about the physiologic and molecular events that add to this mechanism is a crucial priority in cancer research.





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The University of Pennsylvania
MMHCC