Titles and Affiliations
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director of Breast Cancer Translational Research
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation
Research Area
Uncovering the origins of treatment resistance in estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Impact
Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer is the most common subtype of breast cancer diagnosed, and about one third of cases eventually recur. Tackling treatment resistance in this subtype is therefore essential, as it remains a major barrier to improving outcomes for these patients. Capivasertib (Truqap®) is an approved treatment for PIK3CA, AKT1, or PTEN mutated ER-positive metastatic breast cancer, but not all patients benefit equally, and many eventually develop resistance. For his Conquer Cancer research supported by BCRF, Dr. Vasan aims to identify specific genetic mutations that predict treatment response, reveal mechanisms of resistance, and enable more personalized care. The findings may also support the use of simple blood tests called liquid biopsies to monitor patients and guide real-time treatment decisions.
What’s Next
Dr. Vasan will track tumor evolution in patients on capivasertib by studying DNA in blood samples to identify mutations that may cause resistance to the drug. He will further test the impact of specific gene mutations in patient-derived model systems to identify better ways to predict which patients will benefit most from treatment and how to overcome resistance. If successful, this work could inform new clinical trials, improve patient selection for capivasertib, and lead to combination strategies to extend the effectiveness of this therapy.
Biography
Neil Vasan, MD, PhD is a breast oncologist, physician scientist, Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Director of Breast Cancer Translational Research at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. His laboratory (vasanlab.org) studies how kinases and other proteins regulate breast cancer signaling, growth, and therapeutic response. Dr. Vasan received his AB/AM from Harvard University and his MD/PhD from Yale University School of Medicine, and he completed clinical training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He completed his fellowship in medical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) where he was a Chief Fellow and the final fellow to train under the late José Baselga, whose mentorship and vision in translational oncology continues to influence his work. As a postdoctoral fellow funded by a Conquer Cancer/BCRF Young Investigator Award, he identified double PIK3CA mutations as an oncogenic alteration which has gone from bench to bedside as a cancer genomic biomarker. Prior to NYU, he held previous faculty positions at MSKCC and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. His research has been published in Science, Nature, Cancer Cell, and Cancer Discovery. His research awards include the 2023 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2), Susan G. Komen Career Catalyst Research grant, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) NextGen Star, and American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) Young Physician Scientist Award. Dr. Vasan is the Scientific Advisor for PIK3CA Pathbreakers, a breast cancer patient advocacy group. Additionally, he serves as Acting Chair and a Standing Member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC).
