Mark Basik (McGill University): Managing drug resistance in triple negative breast cancer

May 6, 2026, 2:30pm - May 6, 2026, 3:30pm

Dear all,

It is our pleasure to invite you to the upcoming lecture on May 6th by Mark Basik (McGill University):

“Managing drug resistance in triple negative breast cancer”

Where?

MDC-BIMSB conference room 0.61 and Zoom

https://mdc-berlin.zoom-x.de/j/62232289725?pwd=VU9IToC2Q5bw01Y9O17QguC1HQ9xT9.1

Meeting ID: 622 3228 9725

Passcode: 913398

When?

14:30-15:30

Host:

Nikolaus Rajewsky

Credits for attendance: (0.1 credit/lecture)

Please sign the attendance list in the room; online participation is possible but does not qualify for credit.

Abstract

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and is treated with a combination of chemotherapy with anti-PD-1 therapy in its early stages. Resistance occurs in about one-third of early cases and in all metastatic cases and is associated with poor prognosis. Our lab has developed novel patient-derived models of drug-resistant TNBC and has profiled drug-resistant cells and tumors. We have observed altered lipid metabolism as well as aberrant cell cycle dynamics as two mechanisms of drug resistance. Drugs targeting these pathways can re-sensitize drug-resistant TNBCs to chemotherapy drugs. Bulk molecular profiling of drug-resistant tumors has validated some of these findings and provided novel clues for further study. We are now studying the role of the tumor microenvironment in drug resistance as well, profiling a unique set of metastatic TNBCs. Finally using a tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) approach, we have stratified drug-resistant tumors according to drug response and prognosis. Indeed the use of ctDNA provides a paradigm for the testing of novel therapies in early breast cancer by identifying drug resistance very early on during therapy. Clinical trials are being designed for patients with drug-resistant tumors to test and validate the use of ctDNA as a key prognostic and predictive biomarker , with the potential of providing novel ways to manage this clinically important problem.