Juan's Interview & Publication

What inspired your research and what did it cover?
Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world, with one in every eight women being diagnosed in their lifetime. Because of this, screening, diagnostics and prognosis are crucial to increase the survival rate. In this context, I participated in a multidisciplinary group which focused on the role of a very unknown protein in the resistance to therapy of HER2 breast cancer. I then analysed it from a different point of view in order to understand the mechanisms of action and to improve efficiency in the future.

Looking at the potential of your findings, what difference can they make?
The resistance to therapy is, in some cancers, a problem that could seriously compromise the patient’s health and survival chances. Understanding the cause of resistance is crucial for the creation of new efficient alternatives that allow for the improvement of oncology patients’ quality of life.

Publication

Gasdermin B over-expression modulates HER2-targeted therapy resistance by inducing protective autophagy through Rab7 activation

PubMed – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36163066/

Gasdermin B (GSDMB) over-expression promotes poor prognosis and aggressive behavior in HER2 breast cancer by increasing resistance to therapy. Decoding the molecular mechanism of GSDMB-mediated drug resistance is crucial to identify novel effective targeted treatments for HER2/GSDMB aggressive tumors.