$1.65M JKTG FOUNDATION RESEARCH TAKES AIM AT METASTATIC TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER

TO STOP METASTATIC CANCER, RESEARCHERS ARE LOOKING BEYOND THE CANCER CELL

HIGHLAND, MD // The JKTG Foundation is investing $1.65 million through 2028 in research aimed at finding better ways to treat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive disease that frequently spreads to the lung and liver.

Once TNBC cells reach these organs, they interact with immune cells and other surrounding cells that can either help fight the cancer or allow it to survive and grow. Researchers want to understand and ultimately change those interactions to keep cancer cells from taking hold and forming metastatic tumors and to better treat tumors that have already developed.

Led by Elana Fertig, PhD, Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), the project brings together researchers from IGS, Johns Hopkins University, Oregon Health & Science University and Indiana University. The team includes scientists who have worked together on earlier JKTG-funded research to create “virtual cell” models that allow researchers to simulate how cancer cells behave and respond to treatment.

This project takes that work further. The team will combine patient samples, laboratory research, AI and advanced computer modeling to predict how cancer and immune cells communicate and change together over time. This is one of the first efforts to systematically combine AI virtual cell models with simulations of the larger, multicellular tumor ecosystem. The goal is to use these more complete models to identify combinations of treatments that can turn the tumor environment against the cancer — helping stop metastatic tumors from taking hold or growing and giving patients with TNBC more effective, longer-lasting treatment options.

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About the JKTG Foundation

The Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy (JKTG Foundation) funds cancer research, policy projects and events that foster collaboration and public discussion to improve the quality and effectiveness of care patients experience. Learn more at www.jktgfoundaiton.org.