RESEARCH EXPERTISE
CURRENT RESEARCH: CANCER
BREAST CANCER RESEARCH Over the past 30 years, an increased emphasis on breast cancer screening has led to early detection and treatment for countless women. Unfortunately, the number of women diagnosed with more progressed disease has not significantly decreased, suggesting that not all women diagnosed with the early stage disease, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), would have developed a metastatic, life-threatening cancer. Due to a lack of understanding of the biology underlying disease progression, most women with DCIS are treated with lumpectomy and radiation therapy or mastectomy. These treatment methods, while effective, may be unnecessary for a majority of women. Jason Herschkowitz, assistant professor of Biomedical Sciences, and Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. student and RNA Fellow Ali Ropri aim to improve the understanding of DCIS progression through studying epigenetic mechanisms and noncoding RNAs in models of disease progression. Their research has illustrated that there are clusters of enhancers and associated noncoding RNAs that change in activity during progression. Understanding these mechanisms will help scientists predict which patients can be spared aggressive treatment and identify new potential therapeutic entry points. This study has the potential to improve early-stage patients’ quality of life and decrease breast cancer patient mortality.
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