On Aug. 15, 2019, Masonic Cancer Center researchers Reuben Harris, PhD and Douglas Yee, MD announced that they were awarded an $8.5 million dollar grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to research metastatic breast cancer.

The $8.5M award will fund five years of research into an enzyme-driven mutation process in breast cancer. The project, titled “APOBEC Mutagenesis in Breast Cancer”, is a collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota and research partners throughout the country and around the world. In addition to Drs. Harris and Yee, Daniel Harki, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, UMN; Hideki Aihara, PhD, Associate Professor, BMBB, UMN; and Rommie Amaro, PhD, Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego, are project leaders.

This multi-investigator collaboration includes researchers from the University of Minnesota Health Sciences, College of Biological Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Masonic Cancer Center, and Medical School. Local and national supporters include the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Margaret Harvey Schering Trust for Cancer Research, Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Norwegian Centennial Chairs Fund, Prospect Creek Foundation, Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund, Team Judy, United States Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.