Michael F. Clarke, MD

Identifying effective methods for targeting cancer stem cells which play a significant role in breast cancer recurrence and metastasis.

Impact

Despite advances in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, many patients will experience a recurrence, sometimes years after the treatment of their primary cancer. Dr. Clarke’s laboratory was the first to identify breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) as major contributors to metastasis—the spread of breast cancer to distant sites. CSCs are also potential drivers of recurrence because of their ability to survive cancer therapy and lie dormant for many years. CSCs are a minor population within tumors but eliminating them may be required to prevent cancer from returning. Dr. Clarke and his team focus on identifying new therapeutic targets that will specifically eliminate breast CSCs and biomarkers that signal which patients are at risk of breast cancer recurrence.

Progress Thus Far

A major challenge in developing therapies targeting CSCs is that they are very similar to normal stem cells. New treatments must be specific to the CSCs to avoid serious side effects. This year, Dr. Clarke and his team have made significant advances in improving the properties of a promising compound that inhibits stem cell growth and have identified five more compounds with similar activity. They have also identified a new biomarker for drug resistance in patients with triple-negative breast cancer undergoing therapy before surgery.

What’s next

In the next year, Dr. Clarke’s team will optimize their lead compounds for preclinical studies. They will also further test their new biomarker to gather the evidence needed to move toward clinical trials. If successful, this research could lead to new, more precise treatments for triple-negative breast cancer and a new biomarker to better guide treatment decision-making.