Focused Research

Pillar Specific Objectives:

• Utilize our CBCP-developed panel of microsatellite chromosomal markers to genomically assess various stages of breast disease, malignant and benign, in our on-going effort to elucidate the biologic development timeline of breast cancer.
• Analyze our in-depth serum and blood repository utilizing various proteomic identification and pattern technologies in our ongoing effort to identify new biomarkers that can be predictive of breast cancer risk and development.
• Utilize our microarray gene expression profiling capabilities in our effort to analyze the gene expression changes of the continuum of breast disease and cancer development.
• Analyze the relationship of certain breast cancer protein aspects, eg. ORP-150 protein, to prognosis and other known variables of breast cancer biology.

The research aspect is centered on functional genomic/microarrays/proteomics analysis of the tissues and biospecimens, which are acquired as described above. The collaborative research on the functional genomics is established through a high-end microarray, genomics, and proteomics facility at the CBCP Windber Research Institute and will be used as the prime research center for the tissue collaborations, which are developed through this project.

An important outgrowth of this effort is and will be the bringing of more patients into the Windber and Walter Reed sites for breast cancer evaluations and treatment options; also, the economic development at Windber is being enhanced through job creation and establishment of the scientific research center.