Grant: CIHR New Investigator

CD73 is a cell-bound enzyme overexpressed in breast cancer. Recently, my work has shown that the expression of CD73 in breast cancer is associated with increased tumor growth and metastasis. Furthermore, I have shown that CD73 inhibition can significantly delay the progression of breast cancer. It remains unknown, however, whether anti-CD73 therapy can be effectively combined with other forms of breast cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy and new forms of targeted treatments. This project proposes to investigate the therapeutic effect of combining anti-CD73 therapy with chemotherapy and treatments that act through the immune system, such as trastuzumab (anti-HER2 therapy) and immune-modulators.