Breast cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among American women, accounting for 27% of all new cancers diagnosed among North American women each year. Currently, a number of models for the disease exist such as transgenic mouse models, viral models in mice, chemical carcinogenesis models, and cell lines derived from human metastatic disease. All current models have their limitations, and genetic analysis is limited due to complex cytogenetic rearrangements and aneuploidy in many of the systems employed. The aim of this project is to produce mammary malignancy using a minimal number of genes. Our laboratory has immortalized human mammary cells using the hTERT gene and transformed such cells using the H-ras 61L oncogene. Transformation has been confirmed using the nude mouse as a model. To date, two different types of tumors- classic mammary carcinoma and spindle cell carcinoma have been produced and analyzed by G-band karyotyping and spectral karyotyping.
Progress- one publication has been submitted to Genes, Chromosomes, and Cancer- "Cytogenetic Instability of Immortalized Human Mammary Epithelial Cells". A second publication "Production of spindle cell carcinoma by transduction of H-ras 61L into immortalized human mammary epithelial cells" is in preparation and will be submitted to the American Journal of Pathology. We anticipate two more publications resulting from this work. My mentor and I anticipate that I will complete the doctorate in May.