Identification of a molecular profile predictive of metformin sensitivity in human breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) accounts for 15% of all cancer cases in Ontario, affecting 8,700 women in 2009. Thus, there is a great need for the development of new anti-cancer agents and the identification of patients who are best suited for tailored treatment. The drug metformin has emerged as a potential therapy for BC. Metformin is commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, but clinical studies have demonstrated that it can inhibit BC. However, it is unclear how metformin inhibits BC and which patients would be most suitable for metformin therapy. Therefore, the goal of the project is to determine how metformin reduces BC and to design ways to identify patients who would most benefit from metformin treatment. The results of this study will be critical for the identification of women in Ontario and across Canada, who would most benefit from metformin treatment. The results of this study will be critical for the identification of women in Ontario, and across Canada, who would be most responsive to metformin based BC therapies.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Vuk Stambolic

Student:

Ryan Dowling

Partner:

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of Toronto

Program: