# Utilizing Nucleic-Acid Scavengers to Ameliorate Inflammation-driven Metastatic Progression in Breast Cancer

> **NIH NIH F31** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $35,332

## Abstract

Abstract
Breast cancers (BC) remain the most lethal malignancies amongst women worldwide and the second leading
cause of cancer-related mortality in the US. Subtype heterogeneity and aggressive metastatic potential are
believed to be the major contributors of these outcomes. Although the standard targeted therapies have shown
some efficacy against classically overexpressed BC receptors (i.e. estrogen/progesterone receptors, ER+/PR+
and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, HER2+), BC lacking all three of these receptors (triple-negative,
TNBC) are notoriously aggressive, difficult-to-treat, and metastatic. Current treatment options for TNBC include
neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery which can have limited utility in advanced metastatic disease. A recent
surge of interest on the role of tumor-associated inflammation on metastatic progression lead to the observation
that the degree of inflammation-driven tumorigenesis tends to correlate with increased levels of cell-free DNA
(cfDNA) in cancer patient sera. Such observations prompted our lab to explore the use of nucleic-acid
scavengers (NASs) as a means of blocking the pro-inflammatory signals elicited by these cfDNA to innate
immune sensors such as TLRs. In this proposal, I aim to (1) define the effects of NAS treatment on innate
immune system signaling in BC using in vitro and ex vivo models, (2) elucidate the mechanism by which these
NAS work in the BC setting using novel molecular tools developed in the lab, and (3) evaluate how these
molecules limit metastases in an immune-competent in vivo model. Thus, I propose mechanistic studies to define
how NAS ameliorate aberrant immune cell activation, and in vivo validation studies to gain a better understanding
of how these molecules behave in a clinically relevant disease model. Successful completion of this proposal
will enhance basic understanding of metastatic progression and its interplay with the immune system, and
uncover principles that may aid in the development efforts of anti-metastatic therapies to improve TNBC patient
outcomes.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10000859
- **Project number:** 5F31CA232394-03
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Elias Oluwatobi Utseoritselaju Eteshola
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $35,332
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-30 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10000859

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10000859, Utilizing Nucleic-Acid Scavengers to Ameliorate Inflammation-driven Metastatic Progression in Breast Cancer (5F31CA232394-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10000859. Licensed CC0.

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