Susan M. Domchek, MD

2009-2010 BCRF Project:
(made possible with generous support from Hard Rock Café International, Inc.)
Co-Investigator: Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, D.Phil, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania

The overall purpose of this project is to test if a novel vaccine against breast cancer can lower the risk of cancer recurrence when given to patients after their initial diagnosis and treatment. The targets of the vaccine are the proteins telomerase and survivin, both of which are almost always found in breast cancer but rarely in normal cells. Each of these proteins plays a critical role in the malignant biology that keeps a cancer cell growing like a cancer cell, and therefore, they are ideal targets for novel therapy.

Drs. Domchek and Vonderheide have shown in the laboratory and now in the clinic that both telomerase and survivin can become bull's eyes for the human immune system. Their plan going forward is to finish the clinical trial testing this vaccine in patients with advanced breast cancer and then if safe and promising, initiate a clinical trial of patients who are in remission but who are at high risk for cancer recurrence despite standard treatment of their breast cancer. The ultimate goal is to develop a novel vaccine for breast cancer that reduces breast cancer recurrence.

As part of this study, they have observed that treatment with the FDA-approved monoclonal antibody daclizumab one week prior to the start of vaccination markedly and chronically depletes suppressor lymphocytes in patients and may represent an important therapeutic maneuver to improve the effectiveness of cancer vaccines. The researchers propose this year to begin testing telomerase vaccination as prevention in patients in remission with stage III breast cancer.

Mid-Year Progress Report:
The overall purpose of this project is to develop novel vaccines against breast cancer that can lower the risk of cancer recurrence when given to patients after their initial diagnosis and treatment. The targets of the vaccines include the proteins telomerase and survivin, both of which are almost always found in breast cancer but rarely in normal cells. A BCRF-funded clinical trial testing this approach in patients with metastatic break cancer is nearly complete, and a second trial testing telomerase vaccination as prevention in patients in remission with stage III breast cancer has been opened.

Bio:
Dr. Susan Domchek is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She is a member of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania and she is the Director of the Cancer Risk Evaluation Program that focuses on genetic evaluation and medical management of patients and individuals with BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 mutations and other inherited risk factors for cancer. Dr. Domchek graduated from Dartmouth College and received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School. She completed her clinical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital as a resident in Internal Medicine and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a fellow in hematology and oncology. She was chief resident in medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 2001.