Edith A. Perez, MD

Dr. Perez leads several collaborative studies involving the efforts of many laboratories. These projects are organized around three main aims that have grown out of previous BCRF-supported work at the Mayo Clinic. The first utilizes tissue collected as part of the BCRF-funded tumor bank initiative at Mayo. These resources, as well as cellular models, will be used by Dr. Panos Z. Anastasiadis's laboratory to define the role of PLEKHA7, a novel Rho-GEF that is overexpressed in metastatic breast cancer and appears to play an important role in cellular adhesion, motility, and invasion that was identified with the help of funding from the BCRF.

In the second project, investigators will utilize novel breast cancer cell lines established in Dr. John A. Copland's laboratory during the previous funding period. These novel primary tumor cell lines will be used to carry out a siRNA "kinome" screen to identify potential therapeutic targets. Aim 3 has grown out of the sequence-based miRNA analysis carried out by Drs. Cathy Andorfer and E. Aubrey Thompson in the previous grant period. These studies will be expanded to include deep sequence analysis to define the genomic landscape of HER2 positive tumors that were collected as part of the BCRF-funded breast tumor repository project established by Dr. Anastasiadis.

Mid-year Progress: Dr. Perez's team continues to evaluate proteins relevant to tumor progression, test new concepts in drug design, and develop new laboratory models for understanding the genes involved in breast cancer. Three specific aims are in progress. The first of these focuses upon a gene that appears to play a critical role in keeping cells stuck together in a normal tissue structure. Loss of this protein causes cell to cell adhesion loss, a critical first step in the metastatic spread of breast cancer. The second aim deals with the establishment and characterization of new laboratory models to test drug sensitivity of breast cancer cells. The third uses state-of-the-art genomic sequencing technology to find out how the HER2 oncogene functions to promote breast cancer formation, with a focus on identifying new genes that control the manner in which HER2 tumors respond to targeted therapy. Dr. Perez's work aims to forge the path to new treatment approaches.

Read more about Dr. Perez's work

Bio:
Edith A. Perez, MD, is the Deputy Director, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Florida, director of the Breast Program, and the Serene M. and Frances C. Durling Professor of Medicine at Mayo Medical School. She is a cancer specialist and an internationally known translational researcher at Mayo Clinic. Her roles extend nationally, including chairing the Breast Committee for the North Central Cancer Treatment Group, as well as other positions within the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Perez has developed, and is involved in, a wide range of clinical trials exploring the use of new therapeutic agents for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. She also has developed studies to evaluate the role of genetic markers in the development and aggressiveness of breast cancer.

Dr. Perez has authored more than 555 research articles in journals, books, and abstracts. She receives invitations to lecture at national and international meetings frequently, and serves on the editorial boards of multiple academic journals.

Dr. Perez is a recipient of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Research Grant Award (1998-2010); the Horizon Achievement Award in Cancer Research (2002); the North Florida Hispanic of the Year Award (2003); the Mayo Clinic Outstanding Faculty Award (2002 & 2004); the Mayo Clinic Distinguished Educator Award (2003); the named Serene M. and Frances C. Durling Professorship of Medicine (2006); Honorary Doctorate of Letters, University of North Florida (2006); Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator (2007); the Florida State Biomedical Research Advisory Council [BRAC] (2009-2012); member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (2009) and Mayo Clinic Outstanding Course Director (2010).