Therapeutic Targeting Of The Colorectal Cancer Epigenome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$537,045.00
Summary
Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are a new class of noncoding RNA molecules that have been linked to diverse functions that impinge on cancer, but their clinical relevance is unknown. Our work shows that distinct eRNAs are expressed in a subset of cancer and predict which cancer will respond to a cancer therapeutic agent called a BET inhibitor. Our proposal uses sophisticated preclinical models and cutting edge technology to investigate the functional role of enhancers and enhancer templated RNA in cancer.
We have identified genetic abnormalities in 5% of breast cancers that fall in a novel DNA element called BIME1. This proposal aims to determine whether these genetic abnormalities contribute to breast tumourigenesis and which genes and pathways are affected by these mutations. The outcomes of this proposal may lead to the development of novel therapies for breast cancer or could influence the choice of existing therapies for patients that harbour these genetic abnormalities.