# PA-23-189 for Kaya Johnson to CA260126-01: Identifying a proteomic signature for breast cancer detection in breast milk and serum

> **NIH NIH R15** · CLARKSON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $21,357

## Abstract

Program Director/Principal Investigator (Last, First, Middle): Darie, Costel C.
Supplement Application (PAR-18-714) for Candidate Kaya Johnson
Funded parent grant CA260126-01: Identifying a proteomic signature for breast cancer detection in breast
milk and serum.
Project summary
 Breast Cancer (BC) in young women (reproductive age, pre-menopausal) is associated with increased
mortality, and current methods of detecting BC in this group of women have known limitations. Tools for
accurately assessing personal BC risk in young women are needed to identify the women who will benefit the
most from earlier intervention. Breast milk provides a noninvasive way to examine the health of the breast. We
will apply quantitative proteomics to a unique collection of breast milk samples to determine if there is a group
of proteins (proteomic signature) that can be used to detect early breast cancer and predict which women are
at increased risk of developing BC. We hypothesize that a set of proteins exist in breast milk that can be used
to identify women with BC and women at increased risk of developing BC at a young age. We also hypothesize
that the set of proteins, detected in the breast milk, can also be detected in the blood and be used to detect BC
in non-lactating women. We will identify and quantify proteomics BC signatures in breastmilk and serum
that are both potential diagnostics and also inform on pathways and processes that are dysregulated
in BC. In Aim 1, we will employ a Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) approach to develop a quantitation
method and then use it to quantify the proteins in the milk (20 vs 20) and serum (50 vs 50) samples of donors
with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) and matched controls, which were already identified as dysregulated by
our lab or in other studies. In Aim 2, we will perform peptidomics analysis of the same milk and serum samples.
We will analyze them by 1) nanoliquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) and 2) by
Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). These two methods complement
each other. In Aim 3, we will use bioinformatics approaches to investigate both the function of the dysregulated
milk & serum proteins and their role in onset and progression of BC. The unique aspects of our study
include proteomics analysis of breast milk for assessing BC risk. Translation of the proteomic
signature from a local microenvironment (breasts) to a systemic environment (blood) will then allow its
use in the detection of BC in non-lactating women. Our proposal can impact several medical and research
areas: 1) to prevent BC (primary prevention), 2) to identify what makes the breast susceptible to cancer
development, and 3) to identify the biochemical pathways that facilitate BC growth, leading to preventive
treatments. This AREA grant will also train an extensive number of undergraduate students and direct them
towards careers in biomedical fields.
PHS 398/2590 (Rev. 06/09) Pa...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10992055
- **Project number:** 3R15CA260126-01A1S2
- **Recipient organization:** CLARKSON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Costel C. Darie
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $21,357
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2024-03-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10992055

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10992055, PA-23-189 for Kaya Johnson to CA260126-01: Identifying a proteomic signature for breast cancer detection in breast milk and serum (3R15CA260126-01A1S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10992055. Licensed CC0.

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