Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Breast cancer is the leading form of cancer in Canadian women. About one third of breast tumors are referred to as HER2-positive. This means that the cells in the tumor have abnormally high levels of a protein called HER2. A diagnosis of HER2-positive breast cancer is associated with poorer prognosis, increased metastasis, and lower overall survival rates compared to HER2-negative breast cancer. Strategies to block HER2 in tumor cells do exist; they are commonly used in HER2-positive breast cancer patients and they can help. Unfortunately, HER2 is also found in the heart, where it has important functions. Therefore, when HER2 blockers are used to block HER2 in tumor cells, they might also block HER2 in the heart. This leads to undesirable side effects that sometimes cause the heart to fail. This project is designed to find new ways to block HER2 in breast tumor cells, while still leaving HER2 intact to function properly in the heart. Our research partners have designed new therapies to specifically block breast tumor HER2, and here, the effects of these new therapies on healthy and diseased heart muscle cells will be compared to the older HER2 blockers that are currently used in clinic. This study will also investigate whether abnormal mechanical forces experienced during high blood pressure, for example, put heart muscle cells at risk for HER2 blocker-induced damage. It is hoped that this research will contribute to the body of knowledge that will improve the care of patients diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer.