Building 31, Room 10A24
Bethesda, MD 20892

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday October 06, 2000

NCI Press Office
(301) 496-6641

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) just completed awarding a total of $6.9 million in two-year grants to 32 applicants to support novel or innovative research in the area of breast cancer. This Insight grant program was designed to encourage investigators to explore areas of research that are underrepresented. Applicants to the published announcement were encouraged to submit ideas for projects that could be considered high risk, but with a potential for high reward.

Monies were raised through an act of Congress in 1997 that allowed contributions to breast cancer research funding through the purchase of a first-class stamp for 40 cents. Seventy percent of the net proceeds were set aside for breast cancer research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), of which NCI is a part, with the remaining portion going to the Department of Defense.

The grants will support small studies limited to funding of $75,000 per year in direct costs for two years. The scientific scope and stimulus for the grants was derived from a report by the Breast Cancer Progress Review Group, a blue ribbon panel of basic and clinical researchers and patient advocate representatives. The August 1998 report (available online at http://osp.nci.nih.gov/Prg_assess/PRG/BPRG/default.htm) contains a national plan for the next five to 10 years of research in breast cancer in addition to identifying specific high priority areas where research should be focused.

Applicants for the two year grants were encouraged to focus their research ideas on those that encompassed early stages of investigations in eight different areas of breast cancer: biology; etiology; genetics; prevention; detection, diagnosis and prognosis; treatment; control; and outcomes. One of the central aims of these grants is to challenge existing paradigms and to develop new methodologies and technologies in breast cancer research that will be seeds for future discovery. It is expected that many of the researchers whose projects are supported by these grants will then compete for traditional grants and generate concepts or products that will have a direct application to public health.

An unprecedented 403 applications for the new grants, officially called Insight Awards to Stamp Out Breast Cancer, were received by October 1999. Special NCI study sections reviewed and scored the applications for scientific merit and innovation. Funding decisions were based on rankings of the reviewed projects, also taking into consideration the balance of scientific programs at NCI so that no one area was underrepresented.

"There are over a dozen critical areas of breast cancer research that will benefit from this innovative funding and help us answer some scientific questions, as well as set up research opportunities for the next five to 10 years, "said Richard D. Klausner, M.D., NCI director. He also noted that the breast cancer stamp has helped to sharpen the focus on breast cancer research, due in large part to the efforts of breast cancer survivors, their families, and friends.

Approximately $1 million more in stamp sales proceeds is expected to be received by the NIH before the end of 2000. This installment of funds will be used to award additional grant applications from those previously reviewed. Congress has recently renewed the two-year act that made this program possible and will permit an additional two-year sales period of the stamps.

Since the breast cancer research stamp was made available for sale, a prostate cancer stamp has also been available for purchase. While the prostate stamp has been effective in raising awareness of the disease, it was not designed to raise research funds.

Attached is a list of the initial 32 grants awards, affiliations, application titles, and descriptions:

Grant Number	Awardee Institute City, State (Country)	Application Title/ Study Description	Grant Total Costs
CA87222	Bruce Blumberg, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine Irvine, Calif.	SXR: A target for breast cancer prevention and treatment Phytoestrogens have been shown to have a protective effect in breast cancer. Activation of the estrogen receptor can affect breast cancer growth. Researchers propose to look at a novel phytoestrogen-related receptor, SXR, to gain new insights into the mechanisms involved.	$218,476
CA87522	Colin Collins, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, Calif.	ZNF217 mediated cellular immortalization in breast cancer The ZNF217 is a cancer gene associated with aggressive tumor behavior. Researchers believe it may function in a novel way and plan to investigate its role in tumor development.	$221,250
CA87441	Hui Zhang, Ph.D. Yale University New Haven, Conn.	Mechanisms of cell cycle control during mammary gland development and tumorigenesis Researchers will develop a mouse model to understand the role genes such as p27 play in cell cycle regulation, and develop new strategies and drugs for regulation of the mammary cell cycle.	$245,250
CA87327	Lee-Jun C. Wong, Ph.D. Georgetown University Washington, D.C.	The role of mitochondrial DNA in breast cancer Because of the high level of oxygen radicals produced by mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA may be very susceptible to oxidative damage. Researchers will employ novel screening techniques to examine the role of mitochondrial DNA changes in modifying cancer risk.	$234,350
CA87259	Carolyn C. Gotay, Ph.D. University of Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii	Exploratory study of treatment decision making in multiethnic breast cancer patients Using questionnaires sent to 1,900 breast cancer survivors and 500 physicians, and following up with focus groups, researchers will determine how treatment decisions are made in this population.	$202,000
CA87420	Carol A. Westbrook. M.D., Ph.D. University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, Ill.	Breast cancer metastases genes identified by cDNA arrays Using cDNA array technology, scientists will examine new mammary cell lines and assay for genes involved in breast cancer metastasis.	$232,950
CA87303	Robert J. Lechleider, M.D. Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Rockville, Md.	Gene trapping TGF-beta targets in breast epithelial cell TGF-beta acts early as a tumor suppressor and later as a tumor promoter. Researchers will use a unique modified cellular delivery system to try to identify genes regulated by TGF-beta in breast cancer.	$148,000
CA87531	D. Joseph Jerry, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mass.	Hormonal control of p53 in mammary epithelium and tumor susceptibility Researchers will investigate a possible link between p53 tumor suppressor genes and hormonal status in breast cancer.	$230,250
CA87690	Patricia A. D'Amore, Ph.D. Schepens Eye Research Institute Boston, Mass.	The role of Wnt signaling in breast cancer Wnt genes are involved in a subset of mammary tumors and Wnt inhibitors may be able to reverse epithelial tumor growth. Using assays sensitive to Wnt, researchers hope to identify novel inhibitors of Wnt signaling.	$243,000
CA87691	Daniel A. Haber, M.D., Ph.D. Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Mass.	Mutational analysis of p53-related genes By examining tumor cell lines in families with syndromes that have phenotypes similar to breast cancer but no p53 mutations, and comparing them to the general population, researchers hope to detect mutations in p53 genes by employing a unique systematic approach that may yield higher cancer risk.	$257,000
CA87694	Richard P. Junghans, M.D., Ph.D. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, Mass.	Neo-antigen and immunobiology of medullary breast cancer Researchers will identify and characterize newly expressed proteins that cause plasma cell reactions in medullary breast cancers. They will use molecular cloning techniques to assess possible roles for these proteins in metastasis.	$261,000
CA87421	Donald Kufe, M.D. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Mass.	Oncogenic signaling by the MUC1 breast carcinoma antigen The MUC1 protein is overexpressed in breast carcinoma cells. Researchers will pursue an interesting hypothesis of how this overexpression can disrupt normal breast cell architecture, which may contribute to malignancy.	$252,000
CA87408	Rosalyn D. Blumenthal, Ph.D. Garden State Cancer Center Belleville, N.J.	Pre-targeted therapy using the novel tachykinin (NK) receptor system in breast cancer The NK receptor system is overexpressed in breast cancer. Researchers will use peptide targeting to try to establish an improved carrier of therapeutic agents to the NK receptor system.	$285,000
CA87434	James A. Bennett, Ph.D. Albany Medical College Albany, N.Y.	Antiestrotrophic peptide in the control of breast cancer Researchers will demonstrate that the peptide P472 blocks estrogen-dependent growth of human breast cancer, will pinpoint the site of P472's action, and will determine if P472 could be an effective agent to use in combination with tamoxifen against breast cancer.	$232,500
CA87682	Paola Muti, M.D. State University of New York Buffalo, N.Y.	Breast cancer risk: Vegetables and serum phytosterols Phytosterols, which are plant sterols similar to cholesterol, show anti-cancer properties. This study will see if a diet rich in nuts, fruits, and vegetables can modify serum phytosterols and lower the risk for breast cancer.	$77,000
CA87509	Yuenian E. Shi, Ph.D. Long Island Jewish Medical Center New Hyde Park, N.Y.	Interaction of omega-3 fatty acids and a novel fatty acid binding protein mammary derived growth inhibitor related gene MRG in suppressing of mammary tumor Researchers will try to define the mechanisms underlying tumor suppression activity of omega-3 fatty acids, and determine if they could be possible breast cancer intervention compounds.	$233,666
CA87125	Marcus D. Kretzschmar, Ph.D. Mount Sinai School of Medicine New York, N.Y.	TGF-beta signaling events in breast cancer progression Researchers will study tumor properties of TGF-beta. They will look at its dual role in development and progression of tumors of epithelial origin and clone novel signaling complexes which may cause changes in tumor cell responsiveness.	$252,512
CA87356	Gary D. Swergold, M.D., Ph.D. Columbia University New York, N.Y.	Mutations caused by LINE-1 transpositions in breast cancer LINE-1 transpositions are novel ways that DNA can be altered and have not been examined as a possible cause of breast cancer. Researchers will compare blood and tumor samples from normal and breast cancer patients to see if these transpositions occur more frequently in cancer patients.	$255,750
CA87276	Gregory S. Shelness, Ph.D. Wake Forest University School of Medicine Winston-Salem, N.C.	Anti-HER2-paclitaxel complexes for breast cancer therapy Currently, women with HER2 positive breast tumors are treated with a combination of Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody, and paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug. Researchers hope to design a single macromolecular species of both drugs and test its feasibility.	$217,125
CA87174	Anthony T. Yeung, Ph.D. Institute for Cancer Research Philadelphia, Pa.	DNA repair polymorphisms and sporadic breast cancer Breast cancer can arise from defects in DNA repair genes. Researchers will use a novel methodology to rapidly screen for defects in base-excision DNA repair genes to see if they are associated with sporadic breast cancer.	$252,999
CA87182	Mark A. Lemmon, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa.	Structural studies of ErbB/HER receptor dimerization Using X-ray crystallography, researchers will gain a structural understanding of receptor activation and will be able to design novel approaches for reversing activation in human cancers.	$237,500
CA87261	Glenn L. Radice, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa.	Cap cell-derived tumors: Model of invasive breast cancer Genetic changes specific to the cap cell population are also present in aggressive tumors. Researchers will try to determine if the highly proliferative and invasive cap cell population is a target for metastatic breast cancer.	$237,750
CA87230	Jose Russo, M.D. Fox Chase Cancer Center Philadelphia, Pa.	Role of microsatellite instability in breast cancer Using an experimental system they developed, researchers will provide functional evidence of whether DNA mismatch repair, of which microsatellite instability is one manifestation, could be defective at the cancer initiation stage of the disease.	$252,999
CA87391	Edward R. Sauter, M.D., Ph.D. Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pa.	Association of nipple aspirates with clinical findings Needle biopsies for breast cancer carry risk for hematoma and infection. Breast nipple aspiration provides fluid with minimal discomfort and can yield cells which give rise to cancer. Researchers will determine if biomarkers in this fluid can predict the benign or malignant nature of breast lesions.	$236,999
CA87414	Mark D. Nichols, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa.	Receptor function in breast cancers with high ER protein Researchers will use an experimental assay of archived frozen tumors to identify estrogen receptor mutations and correlate their expression with clinical outcome, which could have implications for tamoxifen therapy.	$225,000
CA87093	Jeffrey M. Rosen, Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas	Development of a stochastic mouse model to study breast cancer metastasis to the bone Seventy percent of patients dying of breast cancer have bone metastasis. Researchers will attempt to develop a mouse model to study bone metastasis and determine if overexpression of the proto-oncogene neu and overproduction of PTHrp would closely mimic human breast cancer.	$156,976
CA87685	Charles B. Grissom, Ph.D. University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah	Fluorescent markers for breast cancer surgery Researchers will synthesize six novel imaging compounds and select the optimal one for use as an improved cancer cell marker in sentinel node biopsies, which may help decrease the false-negative rate of biopsies.	$224,625
CA87532	David N. Krag, M.D. University of Vermont & State Agricultural College Burlington, Vt.	Identification of small peptides which target cancer cells isolated from blood of patients Using a unique method of identifying ligands specific to breast cancer cells in patient blood, researchers hope to find novel peptides that can be conjugated to agents which may be effective cancer therapies.	$226,500
CA87325	Brad H. Nelson, Ph.D. Virginia Mason Research Center Seattle, Wash.	Mouse model to study immune evasion by mammary tumors Researchers will develop a new mouse model to understand mechanisms by which human breast cancers evade immune rejection. This may lead to effective counterstrategies to prevent or reverse the cancer process in humans.	$94,500
CA87244	Erik W. Thompson, Ph.D. St. Vincent's Hospital University of Melbourne Victoria, Australia	Epithelio-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer The epithelio-mesenchymal transition is thought to be a critical step leading to breast metastasis. Researchers will attempt to obtain new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets related to movement of breast cancer cells from epithelial to mesenchymal in the body.	$150,000
CA87085	Israel Vlodavsky, Ph.D. Hadassah Hospital Jerusalem, Israel	Involvement of heparanase in breast cancer progression Molecules that inhibit heparanase activity are also capable of suppressing tumor metastasis. Researchers will try to determine what role these molecules play in breast cancer.	$122,000

For more information about cancer, visit NCI's Web site at http://www.cancer.gov.