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Experts from the Institute for Precision Medicine spearhead groundbreaking discussions at the global PMWC 2025 conference

LeeOesterreich

At the PMWC conference, Adrian Lee, PhD, Director of the Institute for Precision Medicine (IPM), chaired the Clinical Utility of Liquid Biopsies track, leading a critical discussion on “Improving Sensitivity of MRD and MCED – Tumor-agnostic vs. Tumor-informed ctDNA Approaches.” Joining him on the panel was Marija Balic, MD, ScD, MBA, (UPMC Hillman Cancer Center) co-director of the Magee Women’s Cancer Program and clinical co-leader of the Women’s Cancer Research Center (WCRC). A leader in breast clinical science, she oversees Pitt and UPMC’s breast cancer program.

The Institute for Precision Medicine at PMWC 2025

Our paper about ESR1 mutations and breast cancer metastasis is now published in Cancer Research! 

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https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2022/01/25/0008-5472.CAN-21-2576
Zheqi (Vaciry) Li, Ph.D.

This study was led by former graduate student Vaciry Li with great efforts from many intra- and inter-group collaborations. Congratulations to all! 

In this study, we showed that context and allele-dependent transcriptome and cistrome reprogramming in ESR1 mutation cell models, which elicit diverse metastatic phenotypes related to cell-cell adhesion, cell-ECM adhesion and migration driven by increased desmosome/gap junctions, dampened TIMP3-MMP axis and Wnt pathway. Importantly, some of these pathways can pharmacologically targeted and reveals novel therapeutic strategies.  

Our new review is out now in The Lancet Healthy Longevity!

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Led by PhD student Neil Carleton and senior authors Adrian Lee, Priscilla McAuliffe, and Steffi Oesterreich, we review key considerations for “right-sizing” therapy options for older women with ER+ breast cancer. With contributions from radiation, pathology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology from the UPMC / Magee Women’s Hospital breast cancer group, this collaborative effort touches on optimizing quality of life along with new translational studies that may impact future treatment of these patients. 

Check it out at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(21)00280-4/fulltext.  

The Lee/Oesterreich lab receives two Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Project Grants!

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The Lee/Oesterreich lab is delighted to receive two grant awards from the Breast Cancer Alliance (http://breastcanceralliance.org/).

The BCA selected to fund our projects entitled ‘Therapeutic targeting of novel pathways in breast cancer brain metastases’ and ‘Understanding the importance of ESR1 fusion genes in metastatic breast cancer”. The grants provide one year of funding support for these exciting projects.

We are very grateful for the funding to continue our quest to better understand and target endocrine resistant breast cancer.

Dr. Oesterreich discusses ILC at NWMBCC in Seattle

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Steffi meets with members of LBCA advocacy group (https://lobularbreastcancer.org/), and discusses progress and challenges for ILC research at the Northwest Metastatic Breast Cancer Conference (NWMBCC).

The presentation was live streamed, and can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/lobularbreastcanceralliance/videos/553742191751845/.

Of note, Leigh Pate, founder of LBCA, receives the Beth Caldwell Breakthrough Leadership award.