Potential biomarkers and drugs for common breast cancer

Arne Östman has been a member of the CCBIO International Faculty since its startup.

Does fibroblast subsets control ER+ breast cancer?

Among breast cancers, the Estrogen Receptor-positive (ER+) is the most common group. Improved diagnostics and novel drugs have improved outcome. However, better biomarkers and drugs are needed for this large patient group. 

Cancer-associated fibroblasts is a poorly characterized cell type controlling tumor aggressiveness and response to treatment through communications with malignant cells and immune cells. This project tests the overall hypothesis that novel to-be-defined fibroblast subsets control ER+ breast cancer through interactions with malignant cells and immune cells, and thereby are potential biomarkers and drug targets.

Defining features of the application include: 

• usage of highly competitive resources and methodologies, e.g. advanced tissue analyses methods, trial-derived tumor collections, and novel drug screening formats 
• collaborations with established partners with relevant and leading expertise in breast cancer pathology, biomarker studies, and drug screening 
• high originality ensured by development of original recent published and up-published research findings of Östman

Studies will provide findings that will advance clinical management of ER+ breast cancer through discovery of improved biomarkers and drugs with novel mechanisms of action.

Norwegian-Swedish collaboration

The study will be performed through close collaborations with the group of Professor Lars A. Akslen, CCBIO/UiB and Swedish breast cancer experts. Additional key partners are the drug screening and the digital image analyses facilities at the SciLifeLab, Stockholm. 

Read more about the Helse Vest support for 2023 here (Norwegian).