Eva Y.-H. P. Lee, PhD

2009-2010 BCRF Project:
Prolonged exposure to progesterone and estrogen increases breast cancer risk. Dr. Lee and her colleagues have identified new pathways that influence the abundance of progesterone receptors and thus the duration of action of progesterone. Importantly, the breast cancer gene, BRCA1, plays a central role in the regulation of progesterone receptor abundance. The progesterone hormone, acting through its receptor, PR, plays important roles in reproduction and breast cancer. SRC-3 co-activator is associated with resistance to hormone therapy. In the coming year, Dr. Lee and colleagues will determine the direct and indirect effects of PR on SRC-3 in breast cells harboring BRCA1 mutations.

Bio:
Dr. Lee received her M. Sci. training in developmental biology at National Taiwan Normal University, and Ph.D. training in molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Berkeley. She was an assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego, and was then promoted to associate professor and professor ranks at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Her team relocated to the University of California, Irvine recently.

Dr. Lee made a significant contribution to our understanding of the first identified tumor suppressor gene, the retinoblastoma (RB) gene, when she was a postdoctoral fellow and a junior faculty member. She played a key role in the isolation of full-length RB gene and provided the first evidence of tissue-specific cell cycle function of RB in vivo.

In recent years, Dr. Eva Lee's lab has been studying how cells respond to DNA damage. Her team identified functional links between cell cycle checkpoint proteins and DNA repair proteins. Mutations of genes encoding these proteins result in cancer predisposition in humans. To better understand breast carcinogenesis and to establish systems for new drug discoveries, her team has established a new mouse mammary tumor model. The new model recapitulates many aspects of human cancer. She has received a Merit Award from NCI to further investigate estrogene receptor expression and oncogene contribution in breast cancer. She is the principal investigator of an NCI-funded mouse consortium project and co-PI of a Department of Defense-funded center of excellence grant.

Dr. Lee plays an active role in serving the scientific communities. She served as chair/co-chair of the NIH study section and workshop. She participated in the USA/Japan meetings, and she will begin to serve as a member of the NCI program project parent committee C this year.