Robert J. Schneider, PhD

Developing new therapeutics for treating metastatic breast cancer.

Impact

Breast cancer metastasis – the spread of breast cancer to other organs – is responsible for the majority of deaths from the disease and remains a challenge to treat. That is why researchers are working to improve our understanding of the mechanisms that promote metastasis. In part with BCRF support, Dr. Robert Schneider’s team discovered that to metastasize, breast cancer cells utilize a specialized mechanism to produce proteins necessary for them to migrate to distant sites in the body and generate new tumors. This process, known as translation, involves a unique initiation factor called DAP5, encoded by the eIF4G2 gene. Their laboratory studies demonstrated that DAP5 is essential for both the spread of breast cancer to other organs (metastasis) and for maintaining existing metastases but not for primary tumor growth: They found that DAP5 is overexpressed in metastatic breast cancers and matched metastases, but not in primary tumors that had not metastasized. Dr. Schneider’s current project is focused on determining how this translational mechanism is regulated and specifically commandeered by breast cancer cells to promote metastasis. The results could potentially reveal specific druggable targets that can be leveraged to destroy breast cancer metastases with greater specificity and less toxicity.

What’s next

Dr. Schneider’s group will utilize laboratory models to determine how DAP5 directs the production of proteins critical for breast cancer metastasis and its maintenance. They will also decipher the molecular and structural features of DAP5 with the goal to uncover those features that can be targeted to decrease the breast cancer cells’ metastatic potential. This innovative project could provide new therapeutics and therapeutic approaches for treating metastatic breast cancer, thereby improving outcomes and ultimately decreasing the mortality rate for these patients.