Comprehensive Molecular Analysis of Pre- and Postmenopausal Human Mammary Cells to Enable Their Optimized Growth as Organoids Ex Vivo

The goal of this project is to discover new factors essential for maintaining a normal human mammary gland. The approach is to
generate and analyze in depth the protein-encoding RNAs and chromatin states that control their expression in the different types of
cells that constitute the human mammary epithelium and its surrounding stromal cells. This will involve analyses of cells isolated from
discarded healthy breast tissue obtained with consent from women undergoing reduction mammoplasties. Datasets from
premenopausal samples already exist in the host laboratory, and datasets for postmenopausal samples will be generated from as yet
unprocessed, but already obtained tissue. The findings will be a significant addition to global efforts to elucidate how different types of
cancers develop in the breasts of these two age groups. They will also be of key importance to STEMCELL’s ongoing efforts to
develop optimized media to support normal and malignant human mammary gland cell growth ex vivo, thereby enhancing its world
leadership in the provision of optimized and reproducible novel tissue culture systems and reagents. The interconnectivity of these
related scientific and economic goals are thus ideally suited to provide a unique post-doctoral training experience situated at the
interface of academia and biotech.

Faculty Supervisor:

Martin Hirst

Student:

Partner:

STEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Manufacturing; Mining; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: