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Robert J. Schneider, PhD

NYU School of Medicine
New York, New York

Titles and Affiliations

Albert B. Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis
Professor of Microbiology and Radiation Oncology

Research area

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.

Biography

Robert J. Schneider, PhD is the Albert Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis at NYU School of Medicine, an Associate Director of the NYU Cancer Institute, Breast Cancer Program Co-Director and Associate Dean for the Office of Therapeutics and Industry Alliances. He has published more than 140 peer reviewed papers. His research is directed to the development, progression and metastasis of breast cancer and the interplay of the inflammatory response, and the development of new therapeutics for metastatic breast cancer.

Dr. Schneider has received numerous awards and prizes in recognition of his research, including the 2010 Judah Folkman Memorial lecture; the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award & Commencement address, University of Delaware and the 2012 Susan E. Donelan Hope for the Future Award for breast cancer research, Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Schneider is a founding scientist of five biotechnology companies focused on translating oncology research to the clinic.

BCRF Investigator Since

2002

Areas of Focus

Tumor Biology