We’re thrilled to share that one of the projects funded through our first Research Conference Dragon’s Den Style Grant Round is making waves in the scientific community. The research team behind this innovative study had their findings published in Nature last week, marking a major step forward in breast cancer prevention research.
Their findings, published in Nature, suggest that one existing anti-progestin drug, ulipristal acetate (already approved for use in other conditions) could potentially be repurposed to help prevent breast cancer in pre-menopausal women at increased risk of the disease. The researchers found that blocking the effects of the hormone progesterone reduced the stiffness of breast tissue by lowering levels of specific collagen proteins. This is important because higher breast density and tissue stiffness are known to increase breast cancer risk. Previous research has suggested that a stiffer collagen matrix increases the number of breast cancer-initiating cells. By making the breast environment less stiff, the anti-progestin drug reduced the number of potential breast cancer-initiating cells and may therefore be a promising preventive treatment for women at increased risk.
Dr Bruno Simões explained that this work provides “direct insight into how targeting progesterone signalling can create conditions that make it harder for cancers to develop.” He and his team now hope that these results will pave the way for larger studies to confirm whether this type of treatment could be used to lower breast cancer risk in women with dense breast tissue.
However, the detailed effects of tissue stiffness on the different sub-populations of normal breast epithelial cells have remained unclear. The new study aims to find out how the stiffness of breast tissue affects normal breast cells and how this might increase cancer risk. The research team, led by Dr Bruno Simões, are growing tiny models of breast tissue, called organoids, in both soft and stiff environments that mimic different types of breast tissue. They will look at thousands of individual cells to understand how the stiffness changes the way the cells behave and communicate with each other. By doing this, they hope to discover new biological pathways that could be targeted to prevent breast cancer, especially in women with dense breast tissue.
Potential Impact
This research could transform how we think about breast cancer prevention. By pinpointing the biological pathways influenced by tissue stiffness, scientists may be able to develop new, targeted strategies to lower breast cancer risk, particularly for women with dense breast tissue.
Ultimately, this work is not just advancing our understanding of breast biology; it has the potential to reduce breast cancer incidence in populations at increased risk, offering safer, more effective preventive strategies in the future.
*This study was funded by Breast Cancer Now, with extra funding provided by Prevent Breast Cancer.
Read more about this project:
Manchester University press release.
About Prevent Breast Cancer
Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer – we’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether. Unlike many cancer charities, we’re focused on preventing, rather than curing. Promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes, we believe we can stop the problem before it starts. And being situated at the only breast cancer prevention centre in the UK, we’re right at the front-line in the fight against the disease. Join us today and help us create a future free from breast cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, email us today.
