Identification of chemotherapy-induced transposable elements in triple-negative breast cancers

Ann-Sophie Gironne, co-supervision with Geneviève Deblois

Breast cancer is the most common and one of the deadliest cancers among females worldwide. In the absence of targeted therapy, patients with a triple negative subtype are managed with chemotherapy agents. Although an initial response is often seen, approximately 60% of patients develop resistance and have residual disease after surgery, which is associated with an increased risk of metastases. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the emergence of this resistance is necessary to optimize the effectiveness of treatments. Some chemotherapy agents have been identified as responsible for epigenetic modifications favoring the expression of families of transposable elements. Once expressed, these elements adopt a double-stranded RNA conformation, accumulate in the cell and trigger a signaling pathway leading to the death of cancer cells. My project therefore aims to identify the transposable elements induced by chemotherapy and to study their role in the response to treatment, with the aim of improving the prognosis of patients with triple negative breast cancer.