Thazin Nwe Aung, PhD

Yale University School of Medicine
$100,000 Dr. Susan Love Fund Award

Research Title:
Mapping the Spatial Landscape of Immune Response and Tumor Heterogeneity to Predict Immunotherapy Efficacy in Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a fast-growing type of cancer with limited treatment options. Immunotherapy, which helps the immune system fight cancer, has benefited some patients, but around 70% do not respond and may experience serious side effects, even when tests suggest they should. This highlights the need for better ways to predict who will benefit from treatment. We plan to develop a computational tool to predict treatment outcomes for TNBC. This tool will use an advanced method to analyze a patient’s cancer profile at the genetic level. However, this technology is expensive and difficult to implement in routine medical care. To make it more practical, we plan to transfer the patient’s genetic information onto a common tissue image, which clinicians already use to examine cancer or normal cells under a microscope. Our goal is to help clinicians personalize treatment plans for TNBC patients without relying on costly tests.