Fanny Vatter, PhD, MSc received funding for her study, “The role of exercise-induced exosomes in breast cancer prevention” as part of the Weill Cornell Medicine CTSC TL1 Education Award.
Epidemiological evidence suggests a high correlation between physical activity and cancer protection and survival. However, the underlying cellular mechanisms remain elusive. Exosomes are small vesicles released by all cell types and efficient messengers in tissue crosstalk. For this study, Dr. Vatter will investigate how exosomes mediate tissue crosstalk during exercise and may be responsible for the benefits of exercise in cancer prevention and survival. She will characterize the source and unique cargo of exosomes mediating cancer prevention and determine the mechanisms by which these exosomes prevent cancer growth and metastasis using murine models of exercise. Finally, in collaboration with Lee Jones, PhD, MSc, Professor of Physiology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, she will identify the exosome cargo from patients undergoing controlled exercise programs responsible for the beneficial effects of exercise, that can represent the basis of novel preventive or therapeutic strategies.
The overall goal of this project is to understand the physiological effects of exercise-induced exosomes and potentially identify the means of preventing breast cancer progression.