Nancy E. Davidson, MD

1) Dr. Davidson reports that several avenues for targeting new pathways to combat breast cancer are under evaluation. Promising activity against laboratory models of breast cancer has been observed with agents targeted against novel pathways, new polyamine analogues and histone deacetylase inhibitors. Studies are in progress with the ultimate goal of moving these directions into rigorous clinical testing.

Mid-year Progress Report:
Over the past six months work has focused on the assessment of expression profiling and proteomic analysis of both standard and atypical histone deacetylase inhibitors in normal and malignant human breast cells. Studies have concurrently focused on the development and application of several types of polyamine analogues in breast cancer model systems. Ongoing preclinical studies are developing these interventions for future clinical testing.

2) On behalf of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC)
Co-Investigator: Antonio Wolff, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore

A group of physician-scientist-clinical researchers from 14 top US academic medical centers capable of doing focused clinical trials in breast cancer has assembled to accelerate progress in biologically-based clinical research in breast cancer. In three years these investigators have completed and reported the results of their first study and activated several others. Over the past year, the Consortium has established several working groups (triple negative, HER2 resistance, ER resistance, local-regional therapy, and correlative science) including representatives of all 14 TBCRC institutions; the groups have regularly met by conference call since November 2007 to develop new study concepts in a collaborative fashion. In addition, the Consortium has established patient advocate and study coordinator working groups to support and advise the TBCRC and individual working groups.

Mid-year Progress Report:
The Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (www.tbcrc.org) has united the efforts of leading breast cancer programs from top academic medical centers throughout the US. Since its inception in late 2005, several clinical trials have been started. One important trial in triple negative breast cancer was completed and most recently reported at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Other studies are examining the role of combined targeted therapy in HER2-positive breast cancer, ways to circumvent resistance to anti-estrogen therapy in hormone receptor-positive disease, and the potential role of improved blood tests to monitor patients with more advanced stages of breast cancer, among many new ideas. Funding from BCRF continues to play a crucial role to bring together scientific resources and skilled researchers to jointly develop new strategies aiming at screening, prevention, and treatment of this disease.

Bio:
Nancy Davidson received her MD in 1979 from Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, and completed internal medicine training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins. Dr. Davidson was a Medical Staff Fellow and guest worker at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda from 1982-86 where she developed a major interest in the breast cancer field. She joined the faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1986 as an Assistant Professor in Oncology. Today, Dr. Davidson is a Professor of Oncology and holds the Breast Cancer Research Chair in Oncology. Dr. Davidson also serves as Director of the Breast Cancer Research Program.

Trained as a medical oncologist and scientist, Dr. Davidson has devoted her career to breast cancer research, in both the clinical and laboratory setting. Her clinical research has focused on the value of combination therapy with chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for young women with breast cancer. One of her major laboratory interests has been the definition of the biochemical pathways by which breast cancer cells die, in the hope that new targets for anti-breast cancer therapy can be identified as well as epigenetic regulation of gene expression.

In 2009, Dr. Davidson became Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.