EZH2-targeted therapy for triple negative breast cancer
Dr. Eswar Shankar, Ph.D. and Xilal Y. Rima, Ph.D. Candidate will discuss their poster, “Simultaneous Inhibition of EZH2 and Activation of Dopamine D1 in an Isotropic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Microgel Model” which was presented at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting.
Taxane chemotherapy remains the standard-of-care treatment option for advance-stage TNBC patients, however, the response to these treatment(s) is often short and associated with non-responsiveness and poor prognosis. Therefore, new target-based approach is urgently needed for the effective management of this aggressive form of disease. Our proposal aims to develop a new combinatorial therapy for the treatment of TNBC by the use of existing Dopamine D1 Receptor (D1R) agonist and EZH2 inhibitors as a better and more effective treatment option. Therefore, the successful completion of this proposal will give insights on how this combination could be converted into a clinical trial so that it becomes readily available for TNBC patients.
Speakers
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Eswar ShankarAssistant Research Professor, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer CenterAssistant Research Professor. The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH. Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH.
The research focus of Dr. Shankar is on breast and prostate cancer studying the molecular mechanism attributing to initiation and metastasis identifying targets associated with cancer progression and drug resistance. Over the last 14 years Dr. Shankar’s research has evolved in elucidating the mechanisms of oncogenes that orchestrate tumor promotion. In the recent years Dr. Shankar has been involved research to repurpose drugs and come out with combinatorial treatments that synergistically inhibit the growth of metastatic breast cancer. In the current position Dr. Shankar in collaboration with Dr. Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy, MD, Breast Oncologist, Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and Dr. Vish Subramaniam, Ph.D. Academy Professor, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and OSU Emeritus Academy is developing combinational treatments to inhibit metastasis with minimal or no toxicity to normal cells. He is also involved in applying induced electric field (iEF) technology as a non-pharmacological means of treating metastatic cancer. As evident from his research publications Dr. Shankar has made significant contribution in understanding the molecular signatures altered during this devastating disease. He is funded by the department of defense (DoD)to evaluate the combinatorial effect of dopamine D1 agonist and EZH2 inhibitor GSK126 in arresting triple negative breast cancer progression.
Most recently Dr. Shankar presented how the combinatorial treatment of Dopamine Receptor D1 agonist and EZH2 inhibitor could attenuate Triple Negative Breast cancer progression at a poster session at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December of 2022. This work was selected by GRASP advocates and discussed in the advocacy session in December 2022.
Dr. Shankar received is MS from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu India and completed his Ph.D. from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India in Neuroscience.
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Xilal Y. RimaPh.D. Candidate, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer CenterXilal is a Ph.D. candidate working under Distinguished Associate Professor of Engineering Inclusive Excellence, Eduardo Reátegui, Ph.D., in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and is co-advised by Breast Oncologist, Professor Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy, M.D. He works on engineering novel in vitro methods to facilitate therapeutic screenings and the profiling of cells in physically relevant model systems.Â
