Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Publication Date

Spring 4-14-2022

Abstract

Cancer is a formidable, genetic disease that affects many people, either directly or indirectly. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide (31). Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer that has a higher lethality compared to other breast cancers and has a poor prognosis due to its highly invasive nature and limited treatment options. Finding safe, effective, and accessible treatment for TNBC is integral to treating TNBC patients. Tazemetostat is an EZH2-inhibitor that has recently been approved for use in epithelioid sarcoma (23). EZH2 is an overexpressed protein in many cancers, including TNBC (11). However, there is limited literature on the applications of tazemetostat in TNBC. This project investigated the in vitro efficacy of tazemetostat in human TNBC cells. The results demonstrated that tazemetostat is effective at killing TNBC cell populations by activating cellular apoptotic pathways and decreasing cellular survivin expression suggesting its therapeutic potential as a monotherapy against TNBC. These findings could serve as a basis for in vivo studies evaluating the effects of tazemetostat on TNBC.

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Marilyn Odom

Document Type

Honors Thesis

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