VI FERO-GHD Project – Dr. Ana Ruiz Sáenz

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are revolutionizing the treatment of breast cancer patients, but not all patients respond in the same way. Numerous studies have addressed this phenomenon, yet there is a widely unknown aspect that may nevertheless play a fundamental role in the response and resistance to these therapies: the sugar coating of tumor cells.

The laboratory led by Dr. Ana Ruiz Sáenz at CIC bioGUNE, in Bilbao, will investigate how tumor glycosylation affects the efficacy of an antibody-drug conjugate used in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. To this end, they will employ 3D cell cultures and mouse models in which they will systematically and controlledly alter the sugar pattern on the tumor surface. This will allow them to study the effects of glycosylation on the immune activation and cell death triggered by ADCs.

With the results of the VI FERO-GHD Project in breast cancer, they aim to uncover the keys to the interaction between ADCs and their therapeutic targets and reveal new vulnerabilities in the tumor that could be exploited therapeutically for the benefit of breast cancer patients.