The Lee-Oesterreich Lab is at the forefront of invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC) model development and translational research, leveraging advanced technologies to generate, characterize, and disseminate robust models of ILC. This work is in part funded by the NIH Oncology Models Forum (OMF) in NIHR01CA252378 and NIHR01CA285337, Susan G. Komen, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
Our work spans an array of innovative model systems – including
- Human and mouse cell lines
- Patient-derived organoids in the BCRF Legacy program
- Mouse and rat derived organoids
- Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs)
- Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models
We comprehensively characterize these models identifying those that capture the clinical and molecular complexity of ILC, particularly its poor prognosis and recurrent nature. Utilizing our published CASCAM approach¹ and comprehensive analyses of ILC cell lines in the ILC Cell Line Encyclopedia (ICLE)², we rigorously identify and validate models that faithfully recapitulate key aspects of ILC biology. In collaboration with external partners such as Champions Oncology, we further advance the development and characterization of ILC PDXs³, we aim to create an integrated biobank and virtual platform to provide a single point of access to these valuable resources. This integrated strategy not only accelerates preclinical discoveries but also paves the way for precision oncology in ILC.
- Zou J, Shah O, Chiu YC, et al. Systems approach for congruence and selection of cancer models towards precision medicine. PLOS Comput Biol. 2024;20(1):e1011754. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011754.
- Shah OS, Chen F, Wedn A, Kashiparekh A, Knapick B, Chen J, Savariau L, Clifford B, Hooda J, Christgen M, Xavier J, Oesterreich S, Lee AV. Multi-omic characterization of ILC and ILC-like cell lines as part of ILC cell line encyclopedia (ICLE) defines new models to study potential biomarkers and explore therapeutic opportunities. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 Dec 12:2023.09.26.559548. doi:10.1101/2023.09.26.559548. PMID: 37808708; PMCID: PMC10557671.
- [Champions Oncology Collaboration In Preparation—details to be updated upon publication]