Roswell Researchers Get Grant to
Study Tamoxifen Therapy Outcomes
BUFFALO, NY – Two Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) researchers have been awarded a two-year, $650,000 grant by the National Institutes of Health to study a novel approach to treating breast cancer with tamoxifen. Gokul Das, PhD, and Swati Kulkarni, MD, are co-lead investigators.
The study should provide screening guidelines to identify patients who are likely to be responsive to tamoxifen therapy. In addition, it will help avoid unnecessary exposure of patients with tumors unresponsive to tamoxifen. Dr. Das remarked, “This study will be a major step towards personalized breast cancer medicine.”
Tamoxifen is approved for the treatment of women diagnosed with certain types of early and advanced stage breast cancer. However, a large number of these women do not respond to the drug or develop a resistance to it. Several plausible reasons for such resistance have been suggested, however, the mechanisms remain largely unclear. Although these two pathways have been extensively studied separately for the past several years, whether there is a direct link between these two antagonistic pathways has remained unclear.
Drawing upon the push in the cancer research sector for translational research, Dr. Das, of RPCI’s Pharmacology and Therapeutics department and Dr. Kulkarni, director of the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment and Prevention Program and the High Risk Breast Cancer Clinic at RPCI submitted a joint grant application. Dr. Das will direct research operations and Dr. Kulkarni will direct clinical operations for the study.
The mission of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. RPCI, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or email askrpci@roswellpark.org.
The study should provide screening guidelines to identify patients who are likely to be responsive to tamoxifen therapy. In addition, it will help avoid unnecessary exposure of patients with tumors unresponsive to tamoxifen. Dr. Das remarked, “This study will be a major step towards personalized breast cancer medicine.”
Tamoxifen is approved for the treatment of women diagnosed with certain types of early and advanced stage breast cancer. However, a large number of these women do not respond to the drug or develop a resistance to it. Several plausible reasons for such resistance have been suggested, however, the mechanisms remain largely unclear. Although these two pathways have been extensively studied separately for the past several years, whether there is a direct link between these two antagonistic pathways has remained unclear.
Drawing upon the push in the cancer research sector for translational research, Dr. Das, of RPCI’s Pharmacology and Therapeutics department and Dr. Kulkarni, director of the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment and Prevention Program and the High Risk Breast Cancer Clinic at RPCI submitted a joint grant application. Dr. Das will direct research operations and Dr. Kulkarni will direct clinical operations for the study.
The mission of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. RPCI, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or email askrpci@roswellpark.org.
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