Arianna Calcinotto
Institute of Oncology Research, Switzerland
Title: Targeting tumour-infiltrating myeloid cells for breast cancer therapy
Biography
Biography: Arianna Calcinotto
Abstract
The well-established dependency of cancer cells on the tumour microenvironment suggests that the non-cancer-cell component of the tumour may have an important role in controlling breast cancer progression and the emergence of therapy resistance. We are interested in understanding the liaison between tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells and cancer cells to identify new molecular mechanisms that regulate cancer progression, tumor evasion, and androgen insensitivity. Our research demonstrates that the breast tumor microenvironment is comprised of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) that favours tumour cell proliferation and therapy resistance in hormone-dependent cancers. These studies have helped provide significantly novel insights into designing novel immune therapies to target MDSCs that are now under clinical evaluation. Recent results will be presented on original and unexpected role of MDSCs in the neoplastic tissue, where they directly activate crucial pathways in the breast cancer cell. I will discuss that novel combination therapies tested in pre-clinical studies modulate the tumor microenvironment increasing the efficacy of currently available endocrine therapies.