# Quantifying early biomarkers of mammary carcinogenesis with multiplexed spatial biology

> **NIH NIH K01** · SILENT SPRING INSTITUTE · 2024 · $156,117

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT
Dr. Jennifer Kay is a tenure track-equivalent Research Scientist at Silent Spring Institute, an independent, non-
profit research center dedicated to uncovering environmental causes of breast cancer and other women’s
health issues. Dr. Kay develops new approaches to identify chemical exposures that increase breast cancer
risk and quantify their effects by integrating mechanistic evidence with experimental and observational studies
in animals and humans. Genotoxicity and/or endocrine activity are features of most known human breast
carcinogens, and the combination of cancer initiation by genotoxicity and promotion by endocrine signaling is
predicted to increase risk compared to either alone. Drawing on her experience studying mechanisms of
mutagenesis and carcinogenesis in the liver, intestines, and lung, with this K01 career development award, she
will investigate the mechanistic interactions of estrogenicity and genotoxicity in breast cancer using a rodent
model and novel multiplexed spatial biology approaches. This award will provide Dr. Kay the opportunity to 1)
hone grantsmanship and project management skills, 2) become a leader in breast cancer prevention and
toxicology, and 3) generate new mechanistic knowledge that can support hazard and risk prediction. Dr. Kay’s
primary mentor, Ruthann Rudel, Research Director of Silent Spring Institute, will help her design research that
can shape cancer risk assessment and prevention strategies, and she will help Dr. Kay translate findings to
national and international scientific organizations, government decision makers, and lay audiences. Co-mentor
Dr. Laura Vandenberg of University of Massachusetts Amherst—an expert in rodent mammary gland biology
and carcinogenesis—will train her in diverse techniques for studying chemical effects on the breast using rats.
The proposed project, “Quantifying early biomarkers of mammary carcinogenesis with multiplexed spatial
biology,” will characterize the mechanistic interactions between genotoxicity and estrogenicity in chemically
induced mammary carcinogenesis. Biomarkers of effect will be tracked in mammary tissue structures and
epithelial cell types in the days and weeks after exposure to chemicals that are genotoxic, estrogenic, or both,
preceding tumor development. Expanding upon her previous experience with spatial biology and quantitative
bioimaging, Dr. Kay will integrate molecular markers measured via multiplexed immunofluorescence with
microscopic alterations to tissue morphology in adjacent histopathological sections and structural effects in
whole-mount tissues. In addition, this project will, for the first time, measure the ability for chemical exposures
to alter estradiol levels in mammary tissue as well as serum. This research advances NIEHS goals by
enhancing mechanistic understanding of endocrine disruption and genotoxicity in breast cancer, laying a
foundation for assessing carcinogenic effects of mixtures and predicting...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10863202
- **Project number:** 1K01ES036182-01
- **Recipient organization:** SILENT SPRING INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer Kay
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $156,117
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-22 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10863202

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10863202, Quantifying early biomarkers of mammary carcinogenesis with multiplexed spatial biology (1K01ES036182-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10863202. Licensed CC0.

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