# Investigating the Impact of ABL Kinase Signaling on Epigenetic Reprogramming in Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer

> **NIH NIH F31** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $41,391

## Abstract

Because of its highly metastatic potential and limited treatment options, triple-negative breast
cancer (TNBC) remains a leading cause of cancer associated deaths in women. Recent studies
have shown that distinct chromatin landscapes correspond to metastatic relapse. Our lab has
shown that the Abelson (ABL) family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases promote metastasis of
breast cancer cells through activation of downstream transcriptional changes. However, how
these changes exist in the greater context of global chromatin dynamics has yet to be explored.
My preliminary data suggest that simultaneously targeting the epigenome and the ABL kinase-
regulated transcriptome might be a promising new therapeutic strategy for treating metastatic
triple negative breast cancer. The overall hypothesis of the proposal is that inhibition of ABL
kinases leads to distinct changes in the chromatin landscape that sensitizes TNBC cells to
treatment with drugs targeting epigenetic regulatory proteins leading to TNBC cell death. The
aims of the proposal are to elucidate the epigenetic landscape associated with ABL kinase
signaling to promote metastatic progression, and to understand how these dynamic changes
might be exploited to elicit therapeutic benefit in metastatic TNBC models. Approaches used to
address these objectives will include CRISPR/Cas9 screens, ATAC-seq, and in vitro and in vivo
drug treatment experiments using cell lines and mice respectively.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10835874
- **Project number:** 5F31CA268938-03
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ashley Colemon
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $41,391
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-05-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10835874

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10835874, Investigating the Impact of ABL Kinase Signaling on Epigenetic Reprogramming in Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (5F31CA268938-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10835874. Licensed CC0.

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