The METAvivor Research Program was established in 2009 with the specific goal of funding stage IV metastatic breast cancer research to one day, end death from metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The following list includes current and past grant recipients along with their progress reports.
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Marjan Rafat, PhD
Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN
Presented by the Bayhill 9 Holers and Friends, Honoring the Memory of Linda Pizzolato
An engineered bone marrow microenvironment model to investigate the impact of stiffness in breast cancer metastasis
Carol Sartorius, PhD
University of Colorado, Denver, CO
Endocrine therapy driven reprogramming of circulating tumor cell-platelet interactions in driving late metastatic spread of ER+ breast cancer
Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Metastatic niche metabolomes and epigenetic heterogeneity in breast cancer
Sara Tolaney, MD, MPH
Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers, Dana Farber Institute, Boston, MA
Presented by METAvivors of NJ in Memory of Donna Karlis
Enhancing the immunogenicity of PD-L1+ metastatic HR+ breast cancer via DNA damage
Lisa Carey, MD
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
HARMONY: Harnessing the Analysis of RNA expression and Molecular subtype to Optimize Novel TherapY for metastatic breast cancer
Nikhil Wagle, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Presented by #LightUpMBC Ambassador team in memory of Jessica Moore
Convergent transcriptional states in resistant ER+ metastatic breast cancer
Robert Schneider, PhD
New York University School of Medicine
Presented by Abbey Rapoport
Inhibition of Regulatory T cell (Treg) selective mRNA translation for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer metastasis
Lalita Shevde-Samant, PhD
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Presented in memory of Heather Holmes
Altering the metastatic immune niche to eradicate established breast cancer metastases
Gangadhara Sareddy PhD
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Presented in memory of Erica Griffiths, Founder of Living with MBC DENJPA
Targeting TNBC brain metastases using a brain penetrable KDM1A inhibitor
Davide Ruggero, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Presented by METAvivor Fundraisers in honor of all people living with metastatic breast cancer
ERα is a novel RNA-binding protein controlling a post-transcriptional program underlying breast cancer metastasis
Efi Kokkotou MD, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Presented by Minneapolis Metsquerade in memory of Kim Cesarek
Development of a functional predictor assay of therapeutic responses in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Melanie Hayden Gephart MD, MAS
Stanford University
Presented by Be Bold and Behold in loving memory of honorees Jennie Byram and Erica Griffiths
Halting the Progression of Breast Cancer Brain Metastases By Targeting Tumor-Associated Microglia (TAMs)
Jin Chen, PhD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Presented by METAvivor Facebook Fundraisers in honor of all people living with MBC
Targeting EphA2 receptor in breast-to-bone metastasis
Changyan Chen, PhD
Northeastern University
Presented by METAvivor Facebook Fundraisers in honor of all people living with MBC
Targeting MGL for Developing Novel Strategy to Treat Refractory Breast Cancer
Jennifer Wenzel, PhD, MS
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, School of Medicine (Oncology)
Presented by METAvivor Facebook Fundraisers in honor of all people living with MBC
Metastatic Treatment Decision Navigation: A Community Health Worker Model to Support Black Breast Cancer Patients and Decision Partners
Dipali Sharma, MS, PhD
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Presented by Color Street Foundation
Racial Disparity in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer in African American women: Unraveling actionable molecular determinants
Pranela Rameshwar, PhD
Rutgers University
Presented by METAvivor Facebook Fundraisers in honor of all people living with MBC
Towards precise treatment for metastatic breast cancer in black patients
Isidore Rigoustos, PhD
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University
Presented by METAvivor Fundraisers in honor of all people living with MBC
Short RNAs Promote Metastases in an Ancestry-dependent Manner
Melanie Hayden Gephart, MD, MAS
Stanford University
Presented by METAvivor Facebook Fundraisers in honor of all people living with MBC
Identification of Race-Specific Tumor-Immune Interactions in Breast-to-Brain Metastases of Black Women
Rachel Freedman, MD, MPH
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Presented by #LightUpMBC Ambassador team in Memory of Gail Weisbrot
LIFT UP-Optimizing Care and Support for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer Who Need it Most
Yara Abdou, MD
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Presented in Memory of Chawnte’ Randall
Investigating Survivin as a novel target for immunotherapy in Black women with breast cancer
Jill Bargonetti, PhD
City University of New York (CUNY) at Hunter College
Presented by NWA Metsquerade in Memory of Lisa Quinn and In Honor of Kelli Davis
Targeting Metastatic Breast Cancer Through the Mutant p53-PARP Axis
Wen-Hsuan Yang, PhD
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Presented by Philadelphia Metsquerade in honor of Jacquie Reynolds Beck and Kerry O’Riordan McAdam
Targeting metabolic symbiosis in the breast cancer brain metastasis tumor microenvironment
Christina Wei, MD
City of Hope National Medical Center
Presented by K and J Road To a Cure in honor of Kerry O’Riordan McAdam and Jacquie Reynolds Beck
Hepatic natural killer cell dysregulation facilitates breast cancer liver metastasis
Evanthia Roussos Torres, MD, PhD
University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Geaton & JoAnn DeCesaris Family Foundation Grant in memory of Kimberly Stafford
Bi-directional translation of differences in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of primary versus metastatic HER2+ breast cancer
Luis Solorio, PhD
Purdue University
Presented in honor of Susan Marr Williamson
Effect of Motion in the Metastatic Microenvironment
Jawed Siddiqui, PhD
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Presented in memory of Heather Holmes
Therapeutic tareting of GFRAL/RET axis to overcome bone metastasis of breast cancer
Amy Schade, PhD
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Presented in memory of Noel Shubert Weaver, who passed away of triple negative metastatic breast cancer
Developing effective combination therapies for metastatic TNBC by co-targeting epigenetic and oncogenic enzymes
Jennifer Rosenbluth, MD, PhD
University of California San Francisco
Presented in memory of Catherine Hill
Developing therapeutic strategies for metastatic inflammatory breast cancer using patient-derived organoids
Vadim Jucaud, PhD
Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation
Presented by the Moore/Smith Family in memory of Carol Smith, wife, mother, friend and advocate
Microengineered approach to develop personalized monoclonal antibodies for metastatic breast cancer treatment
Daniel Hollern, PhD, BS
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Presented by The Orlando Metsquerade in memory of Caitlin Kosma, wife, mother, friend and advocate
Using B cells to eliminate TNBC liver metastases
Adrian Lee, PhD
University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Targeting RET for the treatment of breast cancer brain metastasis
Blake “Eason” Hildreth, DVM, MS, PhD
University of Alabama, Birmingham
Targeting the CSF1R/PU.1 axis and PU.1/BET super-enhancer regulome in breast cancer bone metastasis
Julie Di Martino, PhD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Targeting dormant breast cancer cells with ACE inhibitors
Nathan Reticker-Flynn, PhD
Stanford University
Targeting lymph node-induced immune tolerance to treat metastatic breast cancer
Lou Song, PhD
University of Virginia
Oncogenic TRIM37 is a new driver of metastasis in triple negative breast cancer patients
Tae-Hyung Kim, PhD
University of New Mexico
Harnessing cell mechanotype to regulate the immune evasion of highly metastatic breast cancer cells
Reva Basho, MD
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute
Presented by Metavivor Facebook Fundraisers
Tucatinib in Combination with Pembrolizumab and Trastuzumab for Patients with HER2+ Breast Cancer Brain Metastases
Isaac Chan, MD, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Presented by #Lindasbug: A VW Beetle Fundraiser in Memory of Linda Kreizenbeck
Using natural killer cells to eliminate breast cancer metastases
Jessica Christenson, PhD
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Presented by Metavivor Facebook Fundraisers
Repurposing Lung Microenvironment Targeted Therapies for the Treatment of Established Breast Cancer Lung Metastases
Erin Howe, PhD
University of Notre Dame-Harper Cancer Research Institute
Presented in memory of Erin Remme by Minneapolis Metsquerade
Targeting endosomal trafficking to enhance immune recognition of breast cancer brain metastases
Natasha Hunter, MD
University of Washington
Presented by Metavivor Facebook Fundraisers
Tissue and liquid biopsy for breast cancer patients with bone-only metastases
Dennis Jones, PhD
Boston University
Presented by Metavivor Facebook Fundraisers
Targeting breast cancer plasticity and immunosuppression in metastatic lymph nodes
Srinivas Malladi, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Presented in Honor of Abbey Rapoport
Targeting vulnerabilities of immune-evasive HER2+ Breast Adenocarcinoma Metastasis Initiating Cells
Diwakar Pattabiraman, PhD
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Presented in memory of Dee Dee Miller by Play: CLE to Cure: MBC
Differentiation therapy for metastatic breast cancer
Shreyas Rao, PhD
The University of Alabama
Presented by Metavivor Facebook Fundraisers
Engineered biomimetic hydrogels to probe metastatic tumor cell cluster–brain microenvironment interactions facilitating tumor progression
Thu Truong, PhD
University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center
Presented by MetaRaise DENJPA in Memory of Our Friend Patty Ann Baldwin
Progesterone receptor reprograms metabolic pathways to drive therapy resistant populations in metastatic breast cancer
Yun Zhao, PhD
University of Notre Dame
Presented by Metavivor Facebook Fundraisers
Targeting the pitfall of chemo-immunotherapy: Immunosuppressive myeloid cells induced by apoptosis
Guizhi Zhu, PhD
Virginia Commonwealth University
Presented by Southwest Florida Metsquerade in Memory of Amanda DeFiebre
Multi-epitope/di-adjuvant co-delivering albumin-binding vaccines (Medico-AlbiVax) for the combination immunotherapy of metastati
Stacy Blain, PhD
The Research Foundation of the State of New York, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Presented by #LightUpMBC and Moore Fight Moore Strong in memory of Jessica Moore
p27Kip1: A game changing target in metastatic breast cancer
Fumito Ito, MD, PhD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Health Research Inc
Presented by Southwest Florida Metsquerade in Memory of Karin Petrocelli
In situ radio-immunotherapy to maximize the engagement of cross-presenting dendritic cells to treat metastatic breast cancer
Bethany Kerr, PhD
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Presented in Honor of Beth Fairchild and Her Service to Metavivor Research and Support
Profiling combinatorial treatment response in early and late bone metastatic breast cancer
Traci Lyons, PhD
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Presented by Northwest Arkansas Metsquerade In Memory of Erin Leland
Targeting therapeutic vulnerabilities of endocrine therapy resistant ER+ metastatic breast cancer
Steffi Oesterreich, PhD
University of Pittsburgh
Presented by Facebook Fundraisers
Targeting mesothelial – tumor cell interaction to treat invasive lobular cancer metastases
Selvarangan Ponnazhagan, PhD
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Presented by Metavivor Facebook Fundraisers
Co-targeting immunosuppression and skeletal pathology for metastatic breast cancer therapy
Pranela Rameshwar, PhD
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Presented in honor of Tami Bowling and METAvivors of NJ
Preventing epigenetic-mediated DNA repair induced by bone marrow niche cells to eliminate drug resistance
Brad St Croix, PhD
National Cancer Institute
Presented by Monica Hill’s Be Bold and Behold, In Loving Memory of Monica Hill and Jasmine Charles
Improving the therapeutic index of ADCs targeting metastatic breast cancer
Alana Welm, PhD
University of Utah
Presented by 2020 New York Fashion Week in Memory of Halli Lannan
FORESEE: Functional precision oncology for metastatic breast cancer: a feasibility trial
Danny Welch, PhD
University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute, Inc.
Presented by #Cancerland in Memory of Champagne Joy
BMRS1 MSD: A potential new inhibitor of breast cancer metastasis
Stuart Martin, PhD
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Presented by the We "Neeta" Cure Fundraiser in Memory of Neta Meier
Targeting Tau-induced microtubule stabilization to reduce outgrowth of metastatic tumors
Nancy Lin, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Overcoming Treatment Resistance in Breast Cancer Brain Metastases
Bolin Liu, PhD
Department of Genetics Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
Presented in Memory of Cecilia “CeCe” Curry, METAvivor Board Member
IGF-2 in Herceptin refractory HER2-positive breast cancer
Paul Lockman, PhD
West Virginia University
Timing of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to improve drug effect in brain metastases of breast cancer
Deepali Sachdev, BSc, MSc, PhD
Regents University
Presented by 2019 NYFW + #Cancerland in memory of Champagne Joy
Development of natural killer cell based tri-specific killer engagers (TriKEs) as novel immunotherapy for metastatic breast canc
Robert Weinberg, PhD
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Mechanisms of Acquired Adaptation of Disseminated Breast Cancer Cells
Fei Xing, PhD
Wake Forest University
Treating breast cancer brain metastasis with immune checkpoint inhibitor and c-Met targeting agent
Massimo Cristofanilli, MD
Northwestern University
Presented In Memory of Karen Presswood, Co-Founder of METAvivor
Unravelling New Cytokine-Mediated Mechanisms to Enhance Response to CDK4/6 inhibition in ER+/HER2-Metastatic Breast Cancer
Andrew Ewald, PhD
Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine
Presented In Memory of Avis Halberstadt, Co-Founder of Metavivor
Targeting the survival pathways required by established breast cancer metastases
Carol Lange, PhD
University of Minnesota
Presented In Memory of Rhonda Rhodes, Co-Founder of Metavivor
Targeting Activated Progesterone Receptors in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Prasanna Alluri, MD, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Presented in honor of Erin Remme by Minneapolis Metsquerade
Identifying Therapeutic Vulnerabilities in RB1-negative, ER-positive Breast Cancers
Lucia Borriello, PhD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Presented by 2019 New York Fashion Week
Targeting the Mechanism of Re-Dissemination and Metastasis in Stage IV Breast Cancer
Joshua Drago, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Presented by METAvivors of New Jersey
The intestinal microbiome and response to chemoimmunotherapy in patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (MTNBC)
Mick Edmonds, PhD, MS
UAB School of Medicine
Presented In Memory of Kristin Todd
A novel strategy targeting SRC tyrosine kinase for breast cancer metastasis
Colt Egelston, PhD
City of Hope
Presented In Memory of Angie Powell by Northwest Arkansas Metsquerade
Bispecific monoclonal antibodies for treatment of advanced breast cancer
Jeremy Force, DO, MA
Duke University
Presented In Memory of Kristie Godwin Rolan by Triangle Metsquerade
Discovery and validation of putative oncogenic ROS1 alterations in breast cancer
Jamie Fornetti, BA, PhD
Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah
Presented by Abbey Rapoport
Novel RON Inhibitors for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Antonio Giordano, MD, PhD
Medical University of South Carolina
Presented In Honor of Michael Kovarik by 2019 New York Fashion Week
Phase 1 clinical trial of Polo-like kinase 1 inhibition with nab-paclitaxel in TP53 mutated metastatic triple negative breast ca
Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Presented by 2019 METAbash
Targeting drug-resistant quiescent cancer cells in breast cancer brain metastases
Jungwoo Lee, PhD
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Tissue-engineered bone to determine the impact of chemotherapy-induced premature aging in breast tumor metastasis
Michael Lukey, PhD
Cornell University
Presented by Minneapolis Metsquerade in honor of Erin Remme
Targeting the unique metabolic profile of brain metastases in breast cancer
Ashley Makela, PhD
The Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University
Presented In Memory of Connie Cadwell by Miles4Metavivor
Understanding extracellular vesicle trafficking in established breast cancer metastases: In vivo tri-modal imaging provides long
Madeline Oudin, BSc, MSc, PhD
Tufts University
Presented by METAribbon Challengers
Investigating how obesity-driven changes in the tumor microenvironment promote metastatic outgrowth and chemoresistance in metas
Lijuan Sun, PhD
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Presented In Memory of Rebecca McNally Gilden - Blessed mother, wife, daughter, engineer, friend and breast cancer advocate
Reprogramming innate-adaptive immune interactions to eliminate metastatic breast cancer
Stuart Martin, PhD
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Presented In Memory of Wendy Taylor by Northwest Arkansas Metsquerade
Reducing the risk of chemotherapy-induced scattering of metastatic triple-negative breast tumors
Danny Welch, PhD
University of Kansas Cancer Center
Presented In Memory of Valerie Wright by Northwest Arkansas Metsquerade
New inhibitors of breast cancer metastasis
Andrei Bakin, PhD
Roswell Park Cancer Center
A Novel Combination Therapy to Improve Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Sanchita Bhatnagar, PhD
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Targeting the mechanisms of oncogenic TRIM37 in metastatic triple negative breast cancer
Rolf Brekken, PhD
UT Southwestern
Pleiotrophin as a driver of the immune metastatic niche
Andrew Brenner, MD, PhD
Mays Cancer Center
Presented In Memory of Tarah Harvey by Minneapolis Metsquerade
Permeability of Sacituzumab Govitecan in Breast Cancer Brain Metastases
Barbara Fingleton, PhD
Vanderbilt University
Presented In Memory of Destiny Rivera and Stephanie Sunday by Orlando Metsquerade
Tumor targeting of an immune super-activator in male and female metastatic breast cancer
Barry Hudson, PhD
University of Miami
Presented in memory of Amanda De Fiebre by Southwest Florida Metsquerade
Therapeutic targeting of RAGE in metastatic breast cancer
Yibin Kang, PhD
Princeton University
Presented by The Fraternal Order of Eagles
Preventing Regulatory T cell Induction to Enhance Immunity Against Breast Cancer Metastases
Stephen Kron, MD, PhD
The University of Chicago
Mechanisms determining local and systemic anti-tumor immune response after metastasis-directed image-guided radiation combined w
Sandra McAllister, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School
Presented In Memory of Lauren Smoke by Chicago Metsquerade
A new approach to identifying effective therapeutic strategies that eliminate de novo and recurrent stage IV triple-negative bre
Yusuke Shiozawa, MD, PhD
Wake Forest University
An osteolytic bone lesion-targeted radiopharmaceutical for bone metastatic breast cancer
Zena Werb, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Presented by METAvivor Facebook Fundraisers
Identification of Novel Cell Targets for Metastatic Breast Cancer Therapy
Jing Yang, PhD
University of California, San Diego
Overcoming therapy resistance in TNBC metastases through targeted inhibition of Periostin
Dihua Yu, PhD
The University of Texas
Presented In loving memory of Tiffany Foust and Kriss Fierro by Monica Hill's Be Bold and Behold
Impeding Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis by Blocking CCR2+ Myeloid Cell Infiltration
