Titles and Affiliations
Fellow, Hematology and Oncology
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation
Research Area
Developing and testing new treatment combinations for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
Impact
Triple-negative breast cancer is an especially aggressive form of breast cancer that grows quickly, is more likely to return after treatment, and often affects younger women. Many patients with inherited BRCA mutations benefit from drugs called PARP inhibitors, such as olaparib (Lynparza®), which target a weakness in how their cancer cells repair DNA damage. But Dr. Dekhne and his colleagues have recently discovered a new class of drugs that, when paired with PARP inhibitors, may be able to attack triple-negative breast cancers even in patients who do not carry BRCA mutations. This new class comprises endoxifen-based proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) molecules, which target protein that is overexpressed in many different cancer types, including TNBC. For his Conquer Cancer research supported by BCRF, Dr. Dekhne will study exactly how these drug combinations damage cancer cells and uncover which proteins play a role, helping determine which patients could benefit the most from these promising therapies.
What’s Next
Dr. Dekhne will test the drugs alone and with olaparib in laboratory models to evaluate effectiveness, safety, and resistance to generate the preclinical results needed for future clinical trials. This research could expand the benefits of PARP inhibitors to the 90 percent of patients who do not carry BRCA mutations which could improve survival, while lowering the dose of individual drugs required thereby reducing side effects. It also represents a promising step toward more precise, effective treatment for this challenging form of cancer.
Biography
Aamod Dekhne, MD, PhD obtained MD and PhD degrees at Wayne State University in Detroit. He completed internal medicine residency and is currently a Hematology/Medical Oncology fellow at Mayo Clinic – Rochester in the Clinician-Investigator Training Program. Dr. Dekhne’s primary research focus is cancer drug discovery. His PhD work in the laboratory of Dr. Larry Matherly at Wayne State University and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute focused on the structural design and biological characterization of novel small molecule pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine inhibitors targeting mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism as anticancer agents. This work was supported in part by a Ruth L. Kirschstein Individual Predoctoral NRSA F30 (5F30CA228221). His current research in the laboratory of Dr. Matthew Goetz at Mayo Clinic – Rochester focuses on the biological characterization of novel endoxifen-based proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) molecules as anticancer agents against triple-negative breast cancer. Specifically, Dr. Dekhne is working to assess mechanisms of DNA damage by the drugs and to interrogate potential synergy between these new drugs and established anticancer agents such as olaparib. With the superb clinical and research training environment at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Dekhne hopes to pursue a career as a physician-scientist breast oncologist generating breakthrough treatments at the bench and bringing these into the clinic for the benefit of his own patients and breast cancer patients around the world.
