Description
Metastasis accounts for most of cancer-related deaths and yet is the most poorly understood aspect of cancer biology. The lack of effective therapy for metastasis is one of the most daunting hurdles facing the modern medical treatment of breast cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in breast cancer metastasis and treatment responses. The long-term goal of my laboratory is to: 1) provide insights into the mechanisms underlying breast cancer metastasis; and 2) develop novel therapeutic strategies to improve metastatic breast cancer treatment responses by remodeling TME.
Our previous study indicated that Tubulointerstitial Nephritis Antigen Like-1 (Tinagl1) suppresses breast cancer progression by targeting tumor cell-intrinsic EGFR and Integrin pathways. However, as an extracellular matrix protein, whether Tinagl1 is involved in breast cancer metastasis by regulating tumor extrinsic pathways, such as remodeling TME, is still largely unknown. In this project, we will investigate the function of Tinagl1 in TME remodeling during breast cancer metastasis and its consequent therapeutic potential.