Jeremy Borniger, PhD

To understand how the nervous system contributes to cancer processes.

Impact

Recent research has shown that the nervous system is critically involved in almost all aspects of cancer—initiation, growth, progression, metastasis, and response to treatment. With earlier BCRF funding in partnership with the American Association of Cancer Research, Dr. Borniger demonstrated for the first time that primary breast cancer disrupts the activity of neurons in the brain that regulate the secretion of the crucial hormone cortisol. Cortisol regulates myriad biological functions that go awry in cancer, including immune responses, energy balance, arousal, and learning/memory processes, among many more. Dr. Borniger and his team recently demonstrated that altering the activity of these neurons can suppress primary breast cancer growth and boost anti-tumor immunity.

What’s next

Dr. Borniger and his team aim to test whether their neuromodulation techniques can increase the efficacy of therapies that typically are less effective in solid tumors like breast cancer, such as checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. Using a model system, they will test whether neuromodulation combined with immunotherapy slows breast cancer progression more effectively than either treatment alone. They will then identify specific gene expression changes in the tumors to identify underlying mechanisms that can be targeted with existing drugs or provide a novel target for drug development.