Boost for breast cancer and melanoma research from Cure Cancer
04 February 2025
Funding from Cure Cancer is set to help two early career researchers at Peter Mac make advances in breast cancer and melanoma.
Dr Luis Eduardo Lara Gonzalez will develop computer-based tools to uncover the mechanisms that drive treatment resistance and progression to end-stage disease in HER2-positive breast cancer and Dr Aparna Rao aims to improve treatments and outcomes for people with melanoma.
The knowledge gained by Dr Lara Gonzalez will accelerate the development of technology that connects patients’ molecular profiles to personalised treatments, improving outcomes for those affected by HER2-positive breast cancer.
Dr Lara Gonzalez explained that the research uses Peter Mac’s unique CASCADE program that enrols patients with advanced metastatic disease who consent to undergo rapid autopsy following death so their cancer can be studied throughout their lifetime.
“CASCADE allows tumour sampling to occur from diagnosis right through to death which helps me to observe changes over time and gain a better understanding of aggressive cancer cell biology,” he said.
“We will use this information to understand how primary breast tumours spread, resist targeted treatments and lead to death.
“The Cure Cancer grant will allow me to track how the disease evolves over time by comprehensively sampling cancer genomes on a small group of patients, half of which received standard HER2-positive treatments, and the other half who received newer treatments.”
Dr Lara Gonzalez and his team have developed a comprehensive bioinformatics pipeline in collaboration with the Francis Crick Institute to unravel the complexities of analysing large-scale genomic data. This is the first long-term study focusing on how HER2-positive breast cancer evolves
“My passion for medical research is deeply personal with two clinician parents and a family that has been touched by cancer.
“I hope my research will ultimately improve patient outcomes and I believe my generation of onco-bioinfomaticians will drive unprecedented change by creating the tools needed for personalised medicine in cancer. My research is fundamental to achieving this goal.”
Dr Rao said her role as a clinician and her interactions with patients are the driving force behind her pursuit of research.
“My melanoma research will study cancer metabolism to understand how melanoma cells use fuel to derive energy as earlier research suggests that the way melanoma does this may be linked to poorer treatment outcomes.
“It is hoped that the research will identify key markers that help us predict which patients are at the greatest risk of relapse and pinpoint those who would benefit from additional treatment.
“It will also allow us to explore new treatments that specifically target the metabolism of melanoma cells paving the way for more personalised and effective treatments.”
Cure Cancer is a non-profit organisation dedicated to cancer research through the support of early-career researchers with bold, innovative ideas to advance research across all cancer types.