Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the deadliest breast cancer subtype and among the most difficult cancers to treat.
A team of Purdue researchers has identified a promising new therapeutic target for TNBC. In a study led by PICR member Kyle Cottrell and including associate research professor Bennett Elzey, along with members of Cottrell’s lab, researchers found that the protein PACT helps TNBC cells survive by blocking activation of a stress-response protein called PKR. When PACT was disrupted, PKR switched on, triggering stress pathways that killed cancer cells. The findings highlight the potential of targeting PACT as a novel strategy to treat TNBC, where few effective options exist.
The findings, which are available online in advance, will be published in the September 2025 issue of RNA.
Addison Young, a graduate student in the Cottrell Lab is first author on the paper. In addition to Cottrell, Elzey and Young, co-authors include Isabelle Juhler, Jackson Pierce, Holly Bohlin, Haley Harper, David Onishile, Renee Chua, Madison Liu, Estelle Gardner. For several of the co-authors, the paper is their first publication.