NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The National Cancer Institute will grant $10 million over the next five years to fund three research programs that will study the genetic and molecular features of estrogen receptor-negative human breast cancers and related studies focused on the differences in these tumors among racial and ethnic groups.
Aimed at contributing to the development of early detection and intervention strategies, the "Biology of Estrogen Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer in Various Racial and Ethnic Groups" grants will fund studies of the basic biology of ER-negative breast cancers, the definition of sub-types, and research into the possible differences in these cancers across racial and ethnic groups.
Funded through the National Cancer Institute, these grants will award up to $667,000 per year for five years to collaborative teams of interdisciplinary investigators focused on genetic, epigenetic, molecular, and cellular factors involved in ER-negative breast cancer development and progression.
Potential research topics could include, but are not limited to, identifying biomarkers that uniquely differentiate tumors, identifying key gene sets that are altered in ER-positive and ER-negative tumors, and characterizing epithelial and stromal cells in ER-negative tumors using gene expression, genetic, and epigenetic changes.