MANASSAS, Va.—-Scientists at George Mason University’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine and clinicians at the Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center are partnering to take a revolutionary step forward in breast cancer research that could lead to new strategies for breast cancer screening, intervention to prevent breast cancer at the pre-invasive stage and treatment of advanced metastatic disease, and significantly alter how oncologists treat breast cancer.

The team will investigate living tissue to determine if cancer stem cells — thought to be the driving force behind the development of cancer — are present in the earliest stages of premalignant tumors. This may be the first time living, precancerous human breast tissue has been used in this type of breast cancer research.

Ductal carcinoma in situ — or DCIS — will be studied to understand how early invasive and metastatic cancer cells develop. It is the most common type of noninvasive breast cancer in women and accounts for an estimated 30 percent of the 185,000 breast cancers detected by mammography each year. DCIS lesions differ from invasive breast cancer tumors because they do not invade the ductal wall, which prevents access to the vascular and lymphatic systems that are conduits for metastatic spread to other organs.

“Understanding the potential role of breast cancer stem cells within the DCIS tissue microenvironment has important clinical implications for women with DCIS and for their physicians,” says Dr. Kirsten Edmiston, Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center medical director and co-principal investigator on the project. “This collaboration will help identify strategies to prevent noninvasive DCIS from becoming potentially lethal invasive breast cancer.”

Goals of this pioneering research are to determine if a DCIS lesion has pre-existing invasive potential that is suppressed by the ductal wall and if a DCIS-specific stem cell exists that unlocks the invasive potential of the tumor.

“Discovery of a stem cell from the DCIS lesion would represent a paradigm shift for our understanding and treatment of cancers,” explains Dr. Lance Liotta, CAPMM co-director. “Most people are concentrating on stem cells from cancer that already is present, but our unique hypothesis is that a stem cell may exist within the premalignant lesion. The combination of proteomic and tissue dissection technologies that we will bring to bear on this question will give us a unique opportunity to hunt for this cell, if it exists.”

Identifying a DCIS-specific stem cell may help scientists find the missing link between normal breast stem cells and malignant breast stem cells and contribute to a better understanding of the invasive potential of nonmalignant DCIS lesions.

“The goal is not only to discover a premalignant stem cell, but also to use our unique protein array technology to crack open the protein pathways that are activated,” says CAPMM co-director Emanuel Petricoin III. “By doing this, we could identify which therapies could be used to kill or differentiate the very cell that would go on to cause invasive cancer.”

This two-year, $750,000 study is funded by the newly created Synergistic Idea Award offered through the U.S. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program. The highly competitive award is given to collaborators for a proposal that addresses a critical problem in breast cancer research, exemplifies innovative research, demonstrates synergy between partners, and has high potential to further breast cancer research or enhance the quality of life of breast cancer patients.

“Working with colleagues at Inova’s cancer center offers a rewarding opportunity to contribute to the advancement of public health both in our local area and beyond,” Liotta says. “Combining their vast clinical experience with our cutting-edge research capabilities will lead to a new era in breast cancer research.”

George Mason University, located in the heart of Northern Virginia’s technology corridor near Washington, D.C., is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. With strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering, information technology, biotechnology and health care, Mason prepares its students to succeed in the work force and meet the needs of the region and the world. Mason professors conduct groundbreaking research in areas such as cancer, climate change, information technology and the biosciences, and Mason’s Center for the Arts brings world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage. Its School of Law is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 35 law schools in the United States.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit health care system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency and urgent care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community we serve through excellence in patient care, education and research.