Every breakthrough in breast cancer research begins with a question.
What if the immune system could be engineered to destroy aggressive tumors? What if young women at high risk for breast cancer had safer options to protect both their health and their future? What if cancer’s own biology could be turned against itself?
These are the kinds of questions that can transform breast cancer care, but they’re also the kinds of ideas that are often too early, too risky, or too unproven to receive traditional research funding. Before scientists can secure large federal grants, they first need evidence that their ideas work.
That’s where philanthropy changes what’s possible.
By investing in promising research at its earliest stages, Lynn Sage gives scientists the opportunity to generate the data they need to move bold ideas from the laboratory to larger studies, clinical trials, and ultimately, better care for patients. Many of tomorrow’s breakthroughs begin with this first investment.
Why Lynn Sage Scholars Matter
For more than 40 years, the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation has invested in researchers with bold ideas capable of changing the future of breast cancer.
Through our signature Lynn Sage Scholars Program, the Foundation provides critical seed funding at one of the most challenging moments in scientific discovery: the earliest stages, when innovative ideas need evidence before they can compete for larger federal grants.
Our Scholars represent both early-career investigators launching independent research programs and experienced scientists pursuing ambitious new directions that have the potential to transform prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Each year, as their grants conclude, Scholars present their findings. Their presentations are more than a progress report—they are reminders that every breakthrough begins with someone willing to ask a difficult question.
This year, three departing Scholars shared how support from Lynn Sage helped move their ideas from possibility to progress.
Can the Immune System Be Engineered to Defeat Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Development of T-Cell Therapies for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease and remains especially difficult to treat once it has spread beyond the breast.
Dr. Jaehyuk Choi asked a daring question: What if patients’ own immune cells could be re-engineered to become powerful cancer fighters?
His research builds on a revolutionary form of immunotherapy that has already transformed the treatment of certain blood cancers. The challenge has been making these therapies effective against solid tumors like breast cancer.
With Lynn Sage support, Dr. Choi’s team developed ways to dramatically strengthen cancer-fighting T cells, allowing them to better recognize and destroy triple-negative breast cancer cells. In laboratory studies, the enhanced cells eliminated tumors that previously resisted treatment.
Just as importantly, the team also developed new patient-derived breast cancer models that will help accelerate future research across the field by providing better opportunities to test promising new treatments.
“Our goal is to take what we’re finding all the way to the clinic and develop therapies that can one day help patients whose cancers no longer respond to existing treatments,” said Dr. Choi.
The work represents an important step toward bringing next-generation immunotherapies to patients with triple-negative breast cancer, among the deadliest forms of the disease.
Can Young Women Protect Themselves from Breast Cancer Without Sacrificing Family Planning?
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Optimizing Family Planning for Young Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer
For young women at high risk of developing breast cancer, including those taking medication to prevent the disease or its recurrence, prevention often comes with difficult tradeoffs.
Tamoxifen—whose role in breast cancer prevention was advanced by early Lynn Sage-funded research and now a cornerstone of breast cancer prevention and treatment—can reduce breast cancer risk in high-risk women by nearly half. Yet younger women taking this lifesaving medication have long faced limited birth control options, due to concerns that estrogen-containing contraceptives could counteract the drug’s anti-estrogen effects- a concern that has shaped medical practice but lacked direct evidence – until now.
Dr. Seema Khan wanted to know: Could hormonal contraception safely be used without reducing tamoxifen’s protective benefits?
Her team’s research produced encouraging early results. In preclinical studies, the commonly used hormonal contraceptive they tested did not reduce tamoxifen’s ability to prevent breast cancer and did not increase the risk or severity of common side-effects.
The findings are already opening new avenues of research, including larger studies, patient surveys, and a renewed National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding application.
“Because of Lynn Sage’s support, we’re able to move this work forward and ask questions that have never been directly studied before,” said Dr. Khan.
While additional research is needed, this work has the potential to improve quality of life and expand options for women making deeply personal decisions about cancer prevention and family planning.
Can Cancer’s Own Biology Be Turned Against It?
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Using Tumor Extracellular Vesicles to Fight Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Cancer cells are constantly communicating.
They release microscopic particles that help prepare other parts of the body for tumor growth and metastasis.
Dr. Lamiaa El-Shennawy asked a fascinating question: What if those same particles could be transformed into tools that help stop cancer instead?
Her research uncovered an important mechanism that allows aggressive breast cancer cells to interact with and capture these microscopic messengers. That discovery creates new opportunities to deliver treatments directly to cancer cells while minimizing effects on healthy tissue.
Even more promising, Dr. El-Shennawy’s team engineered these particles to stimulate the immune system against cancer. Early laboratory studies suggest the approach could help create long-lasting immune protection and reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
“I’m grateful to Lynn Sage for making this dream possible and allowing us to pursue work that could open entirely new directions for breast cancer treatment,” said Dr. El-Shennawy.
Her research highlights how understanding the biology of cancer can lead to innovative strategies for preventing its spread.
Investing Before Breakthroughs Become Standard Care
Every one of these projects began as an idea. An idea that needed funding before larger organizations were ready to invest.
Because of Lynn Sage donors, these researchers had the opportunity to ask new questions, generate critical data, publish discoveries, and continue pursuing the next phase of their work.
Today’s early-stage research becomes tomorrow’s clinical trial.
Tomorrow’s clinical trial becomes the next standard of care.
And every breakthrough starts because someone believed in what’s possible before anyone else did.
Thank you for investing in the scientists and the ideas that are shaping the future of breast cancer research. To support the next generation of Scholars, visit www.lynnsage.org.