# THE ROLE OF CBX7 IN BREAST CANCER METASTASIZE TO THE BRAIN

> **NIH NIH F31** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $30,816

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, primarily because breast
cancer cells metastasize to vital organs including the brain. Brain metastases, which are refractory to
chemotherapy, occur in approximately 15-35% of metastatic breast cancer cases. Current clinical management
of brain metastases is limited to radiation therapy and surgical resection and the median survival time for
patients is very short. Therefore, better therapeutic strategy against the disease is urgently needed. Emerging
evidence suggest that key steps of metastasis are controlled by reversible epigenetic mechanisms, which can
be targeted to prevent and treat the disease. Using a systematic in vivo screening approach, I have identified
chromobox protein homolog 7 (CBX7) as a candidate suppressor of breast cancer metastasizing to the brain.
However, the mechanism of how CBX7 regulates metastasis in the context of breast cancer remains unknown.
Thus, I hypothesize that CBX7 plays a suppressive role in breast cancer brain metastasis, and that the
process is reversible and can be targeted pharmacologically. The primary goals of this project are to
elucidate the molecular mechanisms and biological functions of CBX7 in breast cancer brain metastasis and to
develop a novel therapeutic strategy by targeting its downstream signaling pathways. I will test the hypothesis
by utilizing mouse models, genomic analyses, and small molecule inhibitors to assess the effect of targeting
CBX7-suppressed pathways on preventing and treating brain metastasis. In Aim 1, I will dissect the molecular
mechanisms of CBX7 in regulating breast cancer brain metastasis to identify novel CBX7-target genes and
pathway(s). In Aim 2, I will perform in vivo experiments to characterize the biological functions of CBX7 in
breast cancer brain metastasis. Specifically, I will focus on its roles in the late stage of cancer metastasis and
its crosstalk with the brain microenvironment. The completion of this project will reveal a novel epigenetically
regulated pathway in cancer metastasis and the brain microenvironment. My proposed project is highly
translational as the identified signaling pathway(s) can be rapidly developed into targeted therapies for
treating the metastatic diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10165669
- **Project number:** 5F31CA243295-03
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jocelyn Fang-Yi Chen
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $30,816
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10165669

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10165669, THE ROLE OF CBX7 IN BREAST CANCER METASTASIZE TO THE BRAIN (5F31CA243295-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10165669. Licensed CC0.

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