07/23/2019
Gray Foundation Awards $1.6M for Breast Cancer Research
Charis Eng, MD, PhD, was awarded a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the Gray Foundation to examine how bacteria, fungi and viruses in breast tissue (known as the breast microbiome) interact with the immune system to influence breast cancer growth and progression. Her multidisciplinary collaborators include Stephen Grobmyer, MD, Section Head of Surgical Oncology, Director of Breast Services, and Jacob Scott, MD, DPhil, Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research.
Breast cancer is strongly associated with germline (in every cell of the body; can be inherited and passed down) mutations in certain genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2. However, not all individuals with these mutations will develop the disease while most patients that develop breast cancer have no known genetic predisposition. Therefore, exploring other factors that may promote and/or predispose individuals to breast cancer, such as the breast microbiome and immune system, is key to improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
In a previous study, Drs. Eng and Grobmyer discovered for the first time that bacteria found in breast cancer tissue differs from that found in healthy breast tissue. With this new grant, the researchers will build on that discovery by investigating how interactions between breast microbes and nearby immune cells influence breast cancer development, which could lead to innovative preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Dr. Eng’s team is one of seven that received grants from the Gray Foundation to study new approaches for the early detection, diagnosis and therapy of BRCA-related cancers.
Dr. Eng is the inaugural chair of the Genomic Medicine Institute and director of the Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare. She holds the Sondra J. and Stephen R. Hardis Endowed Chair in Cancer Genomic Medicine.