Funding: Dr. Ana Lohmann awarded $400K for breast cancer research
Dr. Ana Elisa Lohmann has received a three-year grant totalling $450,000 from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to support important breast cancer research as part of a larger phase 3 clinical trial.
The Catalyst Research Grant will be directed to the project Liquid Biopsy for Predicting Late Recurrence in the MA.32 Trial.
Lohmann is an Assistant Professor in Oncology with expertise in improving breast cancer diagnosis and determining predictive factors for late-stage breast cancer recurrence.
She is an investigator in the MA.32 Trial, a phase 3 randomized trial conducted by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group. Through the trial, the team is investigating the efficacy of Metformin, an agent that is otherwise used to treat diabetes, in conjunction with other therapies to decrease breast cancer cell growth and prevent relapse.
Lohmann’s research program focuses on the use of liquid biopsy, a blood test that looks for biomarkers that indicate the presence of cancer cells in the body. Liquid biopsy is typically used to diagnose cancer at an early stage and generally considered to be a less invasive approach.
Her research will investigate the use of this test for predicting late recurrence, meaning a recurrence more than five years after the initial diagnosis, among trial participants.
Lohmann is among the more than 200 clinicians, scientists and trainees in London, Ontario conducting innovative cancer research through Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s Centre for Translational Cancer Research. She is also an Associate Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute and a Medical Oncologist at the London Regional Cancer Program.
