Grant: Project Grant

Low oxygen levels (hypoxia) are common in cancers, such as breast cancer, and have been shown to cause breast cancers to spread (metastasize). In order to grow and spread breast cancer cells must adapt. If we understand how breast cancer cells adapt we can apply our knowledge to generate cancer therapies so that breast cancer metastasis can be treated more effectively. We have found that cells may adapt to hypoxia by changing where the genes they express start. By changing the start site, the cells can change how the gene is made into a protein, which will ultimately affect how the cell behaves. This study will reveal how these changes occur and will determine if these alterations affect breast cancer metastasis.