Publications by authors named "Rachel Barrow-McGee"

Here we use single-cell RNA sequencing to compile a human breast cell atlas assembled from 55 donors that had undergone reduction mammoplasties or risk reduction mastectomies. From more than 800,000 cells we identified 41 cell subclusters across the epithelial, immune and stromal compartments. The contribution of these different clusters varied according to the natural history of the tissue.

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Longitudinal patient biospecimens and data advance breast cancer research through enabling precision medicine approaches for identifying risk, early diagnosis, improved disease management and targeted therapy. Cancer biobanks must evolve to provide not only access to high-quality annotated biospecimens and rich associated data, but also the tools required to harness these data. We present the Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank centre at the Barts Cancer Institute as an exemplar of a dynamic biobanking ecosystem that hosts and links longitudinal biospecimens and multimodal data including electronic health records, genomic and imaging data, offered alongside integrated data sharing and analytics tools.

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In breast cancer (BC), detecting low volumes of axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis pre-operatively is difficult and novel biomarkers are needed. We recently showed that patient-derived ALNs can be sustained ex-vivo using normothermic perfusion. We now compare reactive (tumour-free; n = 5) and macrometastatic (containing tumour deposits >2 mm; n = 4) ALNs by combining whole section multiplex immunofluorescence with TMT-labelled LC-MS/MS of the circulating perfusate.

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Article Synopsis
  • Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play a significant role in cancer by promoting tumor growth and metastasis, often through overexpression or mutations.
  • In this study, researchers found that while the PI3K pathway aids in cell migration due to RTK signaling like MET, the GTPase Rac1 is crucial for regulating both cell migration and anchorage-independent growth through different mechanisms.
  • The study highlights a novel GTPase-independent role for Rac1 in connecting MET signaling to mTOR, suggesting the potential for new treatment strategies to tackle RTK inhibitor resistance in cancer patients.
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Understanding how breast cancer (BC) grows in axillary lymph nodes (ALNs), and refining how therapies might halt that process, is clinically important. However, modelling the complex ALN microenvironment is difficult, and no human models exist at present. We harvested ALNs from ten BC patients, and perfused them at 37 °C ex vivo for up to 24 h.

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Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and integrins cooperate to stimulate cell migration and tumour metastasis. Here we report that an integrin influences signalling of an RTK, c-Met, from inside the cell, to promote anchorage-independent cell survival. Thus, c-Met and β1-integrin co-internalize and become progressively recruited on LC3B-positive 'autophagy-related endomembranes' (ARE).

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Many carcinomas have acquired oncogenic mechanisms for activating c-Met, including c-Met overexpression and excessive autocrine or paracrine stimulation with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). However, the biological outcome of c-Met activation through these distinct modes remains ambiguous. Here, we report that HGF-mediated c-Met stimulation triggers a mesenchymal-type collective cell invasion.

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Deregulated signalling of the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK), Met, and/or its ligand HGF have been associated with cancer formation and progression to metastasis, with Met/HGF often overexpressed or mutated. Thus, Met has become a major target for cancer therapy and its inhibition is currently being tested in the clinic. It has recently become evident that, instead of signalling at the plasma membrane only, Met signals post-internalisation from endosomal compartments.

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