Abstract A063: CancerTools.org: Research Tools Supporting Breast Cancer Studies
Authors: Moiseeva Vera , Omenetti Sara , Henney Abby , Valencia Katie 
Published: February 2024

CancerTools.org is the latest, non-profit cancer-focused biorepository. Driven by a mission to accelerate cancer research discoveries, the platform allows scientists to deposit and access tangible laboratory research materials. Till date, researchers from over 175 academic institutes globally have already deposited their tools, generating a cutting-edge portfolio of over 5,000 reagents, including a range of cell-based models and antibodies. Breast cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies in women worldwide. A comprehensive collection of tools has been curated at CancerTools.org to support this important area of research. Cell-based models include the RMAM007-3 breast cancer organoid which recapitulates in vivo tumour characteristics and is suitable for disease modelling, 3D imaging, and anticancer drug discovery. Cell lines such as human anti-oestrogen resistant lines developed from MCF-7 and T47D cells, demonstrate resistance to hormone-dependent treatments and are useful for studying therapy resistance mechanisms and biomarker development for breast cancer detection. NCI-HPN-F murine cell lines with recurrent chromosomal aneuploidies, have enabled investigation and identification of tumorigenesis related cancer-specific genes and signalling pathways. Further models include gene-edited cell lines to explore BRCA1 hypermethylation pathways; reporter breast cancer cell lines to assess apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy; and immortalised human breast epithelial cell lines to study differentiation and phenotypic transformation. To provide a physiologically relevant cell culture environment, PlasmaxTM, a defined media that mirrors the concentration of over 50 components to human plasma, is also part of the repertoire. It has been used to culture triple-negative breast cancer cell lines to recapitulate the tumour metabolic environment. Antibodies to study breast cancer biology, including tumour suppressors, angiogenesis and metastasis, form part of the portfolio. Antibodies targeting tumour suppressors include RB1, which is often lost by mutation, deletion, transcriptional silencing and hyper-phosphorylation in malignancies- including breast cancer. Deletion and rearrangement of RB1 is estimated in ~20-25% of breast cancer cell lines. Tools identifying specific RB1 phosphorylation sites, include Anti-Phospho-Rb for Ser608 and Thr356. Additional insights into breast cancer prognosis are offered by Anti-Maspin [16F7] which recognises wildtype and denaturated forms of the protein. Maspin is an inhibitor of serine proteases with tumour suppressor activity in breast cancer. Its nuclear staining associates with favourable outcomes in contrast to cytoplasmic staining. MUC1 is also aberrantly overexpressed in 90% of human breast cancer, thus, representing a promising marker for breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Further research support is offered by an extensive range of antibodies for MUC1’s different isoforms. Visit our stand to explore more about depositing and accessing tools and technologies that support breast cancer research.

Citation Format: Vera Moiseeva, Sara Omenetti, Abby Henney, Katie Valencia. CancerTools.org: Research Tools Supporting Breast Cancer Studies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Breast Cancer Research; 2023 Oct 19-22; San Diego, California. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(3 Suppl_1):Abstract nr A063.