The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a Project Grant (CFDA 93.398 - Cancer Research Manpower) totaling $187,887 to The Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford University) to investigate the role of extrachromosomal DNA in HER2-amplified breast cancer. The research will use patient samples, sequencing data, and breast cancer organoid models to study how HER2 extrachromosomal DNA contributes to genome instability, treatment resistance, and the response to anti-HER2 therapies like trastuzumab. The proposed 5-year project aims to establish the clinical relevance of HER2 extrachromosomal DNA in breast cancer and develop new experimental systems to further the understanding of this phenomenon. The award will support the career development of the principal investigator, Dr. Natasha Weiser, a board-certified clinical pathologist at Stanford University, as she works under the mentorship of experts in RNA biology, epigenomics, breast cancer, and organoid models.
Generated 3/4/25, 8:35 AM