# HETEROGENEITY AND MALIGNANT PROGRESSION OF HUMAN BREAST

> **NIH NIH R01** · PERALTA CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 1987 · $196,293

## Abstract

The nature of heterogeneity and malignant progression of human breast
cancers will be evaluated by studying various subpopulations isolated from
mammary carcinomas before and after short term culture.  Subpopulations
will be selected initially on the basis of invasiveness, ploidy level,
expression of differentiation markers, or degree of intercellular
adhesiveness.  These isolated subpopulations from the carcinomas will be
cultured, further characterized, and compared to cells cultured from the
extremes of malignant progression, (i.e. normal tissues and metastatic
effusions).  Invasiveness will be measured using a denuded amnion assay;
ploidy levels will be determined by flow cytometry, microspectrophotometry,
and karyology.  For measuring differentiation, we will utilize monoclonal
antibodies to milk fat globule antigen, a myoepithelial antigen, a
polyvalent antibody to alpha-lactalbumin and histochemical stain for lipid
granules.  Other properties to be examined to include behavior on various
extracellular matrices, and capacity for gene amplification.  One
interesting outcome that we anticipate is that we will have characterized
various subpopulations within the primary carcinoma and compared them with
nonmalignant mammary epithelial cells for expression of properties in
culture associated with malignancy.  In this way, we will attempt to
determine the significance of these phenotypes for breast cancer and also
to determine the sequence(s) by which cells acquire properties associated
with malignancy.  For example, if a tumor progresses by first acquiring
property "a", then "b", and finally "c", one would expect most cells in the
tumor to have gained property "a" while only some cells would have "a" and
"b" and fewer would express all three properties.  We propose to determine
this sequence for a number of breast carcinomas of different histologic
types in order to understand the extent of heterogeneity manifest in breast
cancer.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3176984
- **Project number:** 5R01CA038739-03
- **Recipient organization:** PERALTA CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** HELENE S SMITH
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $196,293
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1985-07-01 → 1989-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3176984

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3176984, HETEROGENEITY AND MALIGNANT PROGRESSION OF HUMAN BREAST (5R01CA038739-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3176984. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*