Titles and Affiliations
Assistant Attending Pathologist
Research Area
Developing antibody-drug conjugates specifically for invasive lobular carcinoma.
Impact
Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common type of breast cancer after the more common invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), accounting for about 15 percent of all cases. ILC has unique features compared to IDC, including metastatic spread to unusual sites such as the stomach and the ovaries, and a propensity for late distant metastatic recurrences, sometimes even 15-20 years after initial diagnosis. However, there is relatively little research being exclusively conducted in ILC and thus the reasons for these characteristics are not well understood despite its distinct biology. While antibody drug conjugates (ADC), which target proteins on cancer cells and deliver anti-cancer therapies have been highly successful in improving breast cancer treatment and outcomes, their use has not been optimized in ILC. Dr. Pareja seeks to understand ADC activity in ILC, identify novel ADC targets for ILC, and ultimately develop effective ADC-based therapeutic strategies for this breast cancer subtype.
What’s Next
A hallmark of ILC is the loss of the protein E-cadherin, coded by the gene CDH1, which leads to a distinctive diffuse growth pattern, and allows for increased tumor progression. Dr. Pareja seeks to understand how CDH1 deficiency disrupts ADC internalization into the cancer cell, making ILC less responsive to current ADCs. She and her team will also map the unique set of ADC targets in ILC through proteomic profiling and validate those that have clinical potential. Finally, the team will test drug combinations targeting CDH1-related pathways to enhance ADC effectiveness. Together, these studies could uncover why ILC responds differently to ADCs and guide the development of tailored, more effective treatments.
Biography
Fresia Pareja, MD, PhD is a breast pathologist and physician-scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), where she co-leads the Lobular Breast Cancer Program. She earned her MD from Universidad Católica de Santa Maria (Peru), PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), completed Pathology residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University, and fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her research explores the molecular characterization of special breast cancer subtypes, the interplay between somatic and germline alterations, and endosomal acidification in therapeutic response. She received the 2024 Ramzi Cotran Young Investigator Award from USCAP. Her work has advanced the molecular understanding and classification of breast cancer.
