Dr. Erin Howe Awarded Research Grant to Study Molecular Mechanisms Driving Metastatic Breast Cancer

Rosalind Franklin University cancer biologist Erin Howe, PhD, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Mary Kay Ash Foundation — part of a $1.2 million research funding initiative aimed at advancing cures for women-related cancers.

Dr. Howe, an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in RFU’s Center for Proteomics and Molecular Therapeutics and Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology and Infection, is a distinguished expert in the field of breast cancer metastasis research. The new grant will help fund her study, “Rab11 family interacting proteins control immune recognition of brain cancer metastases.”

“Our lab focuses on dissecting the molecular mechanisms driving metastatic breast cancer,” Dr. Howe said. “Understanding how cancer cells interact with the metastatic niche and evade the immune system will ultimately identify novel therapeutic options and next-generation immunotherapies for patients with devastating breast cancer metastases.”

The lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is one in eight for American women, and metastasis is responsible for over 90% of breast cancer related morbidity and mortality, Dr. Howe said.

Dr. Howe earned her PhD in cancer biology from the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. She completed graduate and postdoctoral fellowships sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the competitive NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA). The NRSA “helps ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs,” according to the NIH.

Dr. Howe is also exploring a collaboration with Dr. Nicole Ferrara in RFU’s Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders to examine a potential link between stress and the incidences of triple negative breast cancer in African American women.

“African American women tend to get this disease at a younger age compared to other racial groups,” Dr. Howe said. “It’s more metastatic, and they are more likely to die from it. Dr. Ferrara and I are interested in exploring the effects of stress on this at-risk population.”

According to the  American Cancer Society, one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, with over 900,000 women estimated to have received this devastating news in 2021. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death among women, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. Recognizing this pressing need, the Mary Kay Ash Foundation has made it a priority to fund research at renowned medical schools and research facilities across the country that takes aim at cancers that specifically impact women.

As part of its 2024 annual cancer research grant cycle, the foundation has awarded $1.2 million in grants to 12 researchers. The grants will support innovative and translational cancer research efforts that focus on the detection, prognosis, and treatment of cancers that predominantly affect women. Since 1996, the foundation has granted over $29 million to more than 290 researchers nationwide.

“Creating a safer, healthier world for women means ensuring those on the front lines of groundbreaking cancer research and essential domestic violence services have the life-saving resources they need,” said Michael Lunceford, President of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation Board of Directors.

RFU Interim Vice President for Research Joseph DiMario, PhD, said Dr. Howe’s work will help lay the foundation for the development of targeted therapies for metastatic breast cancer.

“We’re grateful for the work of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation, for its commitment to cancer research and its support of Dr. Howe,” Dr. DiMario said.