Targeting the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway has been highly successful in the development of existing breast cancer treatment regimes, and the same approach can be reapplied for new breast cancer treatments. ER forms part of a conserved family of nuclear receptors (NRs), that are master regulators of every aspect of life, including embryogenesis, reproduction, metabolism and cell death.
There are over 45 members of the NR family and NR family members are highly related, and have overlapping actions in cells. Many NRs are active in breast cancers and because the components of NR networks are so closely interlinked, their simultaneous evaluation will provide the power required to identify critical players in breast cancer biology.
Targeting NRs and their networks provides a promising new avenue in breast cancer management. The bioinformatic platforms and data analysis developments that underpin project outcomes, provide a significant competitive advantage in this discovery research program. The NRBC project will identify the NR networks active in breast cancers, to establish new predictive and therapeutic targets in women.
There is a strong focus on achieving translational outcomes during the course of this program through close working partnerships with medical oncologists, pathologists and other clinicians in each of the project nodes. Thus the project is unique in bringing together expert researchers, bioinformaticians and clinicians in a multi-site and multi-disciplinary approach in understanding nuclear receptor pathways in breast cancer.
