The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMass Medical) received a $512,582 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the federal Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395). The goal of this 5-year research project is to develop a novel therapeutic approach for overcoming radiation resistance in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The research aims to investigate the mechanism by which vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling through the neuropilin-2 (NRP2) receptor contributes to radiation resistance in TNBC, and to test the hypothesis that inhibiting the VEGF-NRP2 interaction can increase the radiosensitivity of TNBC. The project will leverage a large collection of TNBC organoids and patient-derived xenograft models to assess the impact of anti-NRP2 therapy in combination with radiation. The research seeks to identify potential biomarkers and small molecule therapeutics that can improve the clinical outcomes of this combination treatment approach.
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