The Breast Cancer Faculty sponsors the following initiatives:

A tissue repository for normal mouse mammary glands available to the NIH mammary gland biology community for preparing DNA, RNA, or protein from samples at 43 stages of development.

Preparation of a tissue array of mouse mammary tumors from models for breast cancer and normal mouse mammary glands from 17 stages of development. This array will complement the cDNA micro arrays developed by the Mouse Models of Mammary Cancer Collective. In addition, the Faculty supports a postdoctoral fellow who is responsible for providing support to members of the faculty who use microarrays.

A normal human breast development initiative. We are using laser capture microdissection (LCM) of tissue samples obtained from the breasts of normal women at different levels of risk for breast cancer. The individual components of the breast (epithelium and stroma) as well as the different subclasses of lobules are being examined by cDNA microarray, proteomics, and tissue array to obtain a gene expression profile for the normal breast. Multiple investigators utilizing their individual areas of expertise are conducting this project. We are collaborating with pathologists and molecular biologists nationally to move this project forward.

A monthly seminar by and for the postdoctoral fellows in which they give a formal presentation of their project, answer questions on the science as with any seminar. Then the presenters are critically evaluated (by anonymous written critiques from the audience) and coached on their presentations. We consider these seminars as much a teaching tool on how to give seminars as it is a means of disseminating information.

A grant-writing workshop for the mammary gland biology community that deals with intramural grants and extramural grants from a variety of agencies (NIH, DOD, American Cancer Society, USDA). Mammary gland biologists from local universities who have successfully obtained grants from these sources are brought in to give practical tips on how to do it.

Workshops (usually half-day sessions). In the past, we have sponsored workshops on the comparative pathology of mouse and human breast tumors, emerging tissue and microarray technology as applied to the mammary glands, a practical approach to analysis of cDNA microarrays, and xenograft models of mammary cancer research. This year we will sponsor at least two more workshops; the topics being considered are tumor angiogenesis, molecular targets in the breast, and/or improving clinical trial design.

Monthly roundtable discussions by focus groups consisting of clinicians, translational, and basic researchers who will critically evaluate a single topic in the early stages of clinical trial design.