Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in American women and results in over 40,000 deaths per year. Our emerging molecular characterization of this disease has made clear that this disease is heterogenous with numerous genetic alterations occurring in many different pathways. While several existing transgenic animal models have proved useful for understanding important aspects of mammary oncogenesis in vivo, a comprehensive system to validate their usefulness as surrogate systems to study human breast cancer has not been developed and applied. In addition, existing models do not fully demonstrate the same natural history that occurs in human breast cancer, since most models do not develop characteristic premalignant lesions or metastases to bone.
The NCI Mouse Models of Mammary Cancer Collective represents the contribution of the NCI intramural program to the Mouse Models of Human Cancers Consortium (MMHCC). This collective of 25 investigators with expertise in mouse and human mammary cancer biology was assembled to conduct a unique and integrated program for the validation of mouse models for breast cancer and the development of new, and potentially extremely relevant, mouse models for this disease. We have assembled an integrated structure to apply novel technologies to the analysis of human mammary tissues; to determine, through the development of informatics tools, the comparability of molecular signatures between mouse mammary cancer and human breast cancer; and to develop not only new models but also genetically engineered mouse systems that will potentially be useful in chemoprevention and therapeutic studies.
The participation of the NCI Mouse Models of Mammary Cancer Collective in the MMHCC will significantly broaden intramural-extramural collaborations and will help establish a stronger, more integrated intramural program which can approach broader scientific questions.
How To Join
NCI intramural principal investigators may join any of the Faculties/Working Groups in which they wish to participate. Although membership is intended primarily for NCI intramural principal investigators, some groups also permit other staff members to participate. Membership is also open to local NCI extramural science administrators.
Please check with the Faculty Chairperson, Jeff Green, M.D., if you have any questions.
To request membership in this or any NCI Intramural Program, please visit and fill out the Request for Membership Form.
