Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Osteoporosis / 05.05.2018
Osteoporosis Drug Has Potential To Fight Triple Negative Breast Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Chenfang Dong, Ph.D & M.D.
Professor
Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology
Zhejiang University School of Medicine,
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC), which generally falls into the triple-negative breast cancer subtype, is associated with a poor clinical outcome due to few treatment options and poor therapeutic response; thus there is a pressing need to elucidate the determinants of aggressiveness in BLBC and identify potential therapeutic targets for this challenging disease.
By analyzing gene expression profiles of breast cancer in multiple publicly available datasets that contain over 5000 cases, we have identified that UDP-galactose ceramide galactosyltransferase (UGT8), a key enzyme in the sulfatide biosynthetic pathway, promotes BLBC progression by activating sulfatide-αVβ5 axis.
Importantly, we identify that zoledronic acid (ZA), a marketed drug for treating osteoporosis and bone metastasis, is a direct inhibitor of UGT8, which has the potential to become a valuable targeted drug for treating Basal-like breast cancer. (more…)