Every year, breast cancer kills more Irish women than any other type of cancer1. Other cells that surround cancer cells, called ‘stromal cells’ (SC) are receiving increased attention for their role in causing and maintaining breast tumour growth2. SC release factors that allow growth and spread of cancer. Therefore discovering a regimen to safely target SC is a key goal in breast cancer medicine. We have found a novel way of identifying these cells in the body as SC express a protein called syndecan-2 (Sdc2) on their cell surface and we can use this information to identify and isolate SC from different tissues and particularly breast cancer tissue. Our work suggests that Sdc2 is released from SC within the tumour, promoting growth and spread of the cancer. We have developed small molecule Sdc2-based therapies that inhibit movement of breast cancer cells. These studies will help us understand how these new Sdc2 therapies effect growth and spread of breast cancer. These studies are significant as they will help us identify groups of patients that will benefit from Sdc2-based medicines. Findings from this study will be of great significance to breast cancer patients, and will allow us to design essential experiments to test these therapies in animal breast cancer models. We believe these novel Sdc2 therapies used in combination with current chemotherapies will inhibit growth and spread of breast cancer more effectively, prevent the emergence of chemo-resistance thereby stopping breast cancer recurrence.
