<p>The HER pathway is the driving force behind 30% of human breast cancers. It is important to understand how targeted therapies block different cellular pathways, and mechanisms of escape from this blockage. Therapies directed at HER2 establish a successful treatment paradigm, but de novo and acquired resistance exist. The HER signaling system is a complex network with four receptors and eleven ligands, a phosphorylation signaling cascade, and many transcription factors, all complicated by both positive and negative feedback circuits. Analysis of genomes, exomes and transcriptomes by next generation sequencing is aimed at uncovering the genetic factors responsible for patient responses to HER2-directed therapies.</p> <p>We are sequencing HER2-overexpressing cancers, in order to identify potential somatic changes that may better select patients who will benefit from therapy, to determine new targets that may overcome resistance, and to improve outcomes with known current HER2-targeted therapies. Whole exome capture sequencing will determine somatic mutation profiles in HER2-overexpressing tumors, to comprehensively characterize the somatic alterations, with the goal of identifying those patients most likely to respond, as well as discovering new targets that may overcome resistance to HER2-directed therapy. We augment the whole exome data with RNA-seq data to determine expression levels of somatic mutations we discover. </p>

Somatic Mutation Profile by Next Generation Sequencing in HER2+ Breast Cancer