dr. Jonas Steenbrugge (PhD)

Breast cancer, and especially the aggressive subtypes such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), remain one of the deadliest cancers in women worldwide. Despite their positive effects in preclinical animal models, most of the new therapeutics fail in clinical trials, which has resulted in a high demand for preclinical models that are more representative for the human situation. As an answer to this urgent need, our group has developed an immunocompetent intraductal mouse model for TNBC that relies on the injection of triple-negative mouse mammary tumor cells through the teat canal into the mammary ducts of syngeneic and lactating female mice. This model has been characterized during my PhD and recapitulates the complete human TNBC process from early ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to late invasive carcinoma and metastasis. The immunological responses that accompany the tumor progression in this model have also been evaluated and are highly comparable to the tumor immunology found in TNBC patients. The intraductal model is now being explored in collaboration with industrial and academic partners for preclinical testing of novel drugs before entry into clinical trial. This translational research has already provided promising data.
 

• Robbe Salembier - doctoral fellow
   

• Chitin-mediated blockade of chitinase-like proteins reduces tumor immunosuppression, inhibits lymphatic metastasis and enhances anti-PD-1 efficacy in complementary TNBC models. Breast Cancer Res. 2024 Apr 11;26(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s13058-024-01815-8. PMID: 38605414.
• One cisplatin dose provides durable stimulation of anti-tumor immunity and alleviates anti-PD-1 resistance in an intraductal model for triple-negative breast cancer. Oncoimmunology. 2022 Jul 22;11(1):2103277. doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2022.2103277. PMID: 35898705.
• OMO-1 reduces progression and enhances cisplatin efficacy in a 4T1-based non-c-MET addicted intraductal mouse model for triple-negative breast cancer. NPJ Breast Cancer. 2021 Mar 17;7(1):27. doi: 10.1038/s41523-021-00234-8. PMID: 33731699.
• Splenic Hematopoietic and Stromal Cells in Cancer Progression. Cancer Res. 2021 Jan 1;81(1):27-34. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-2339. Epub 2020 Sep 30. PMID: 32998999.
• Comparative Profiling of Metastatic 4T1- vs. Non-metastatic Py230-Based Mammary Tumors in an Intraductal Model for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Front Immunol. 2019 Dec 17;10:2928. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02928. PMID: 31921184.
• Anti-inflammatory signaling by mammary tumor cells mediates prometastatic macrophage polarization in an innovative intraductal mouse model for triple-negative breast cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2018 Aug 15;37(1):191. doi: 10.1186/s13046-018-0860-x. PMID: 30111338.
   

• Lab address: Salisburylaan 133, D1 entrance 24, 9820 Merelbeke
• Jonas Steenbrugge is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks
• Can provide specific platforms or services for other researchers: Immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry