Sherene Loi, 2012 IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference Executive Chair, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium

At the launch of IMPAKT, in 2009, I submitted an abstract on PIK3CA, AKT1 mutation and HER2 amplification gene signatures suggesting that negative feedback inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway was significant in breast cancer. It got accepted as an oral presentation, among the best abstracts… which was a great experience to present in front of many experts.

In 2010, I submitted again, this time on the molecular differences according to estrogen receptor status of HER2+ breast cancer and response to anti-HER therapies. We found that estrogen receptor status of HER2+ breast cancer seemed to be correlated with different responses to anti-HER therapies. This abstract was timely as there is a lot of speculation on the best approach for treating HER2+ breast cancer and estrogen receptor status.

Our data suggested that inhibition of estrogen receptor, alone and in combination with such an inhibitor, could actually result in a worse outcome for the patient, potentially helpful in explaining why researchers were seeing such a poor outcome in clinical trials where women with ER+/HER2+ cancer were given hormonal therapy alone. This time, not only was the abstract labeled as one of the best abstracts, but also selected for press coverage!

I have chosen breast cancer research for my professional development, because it is a common cancer that may affect even young women who are mothers and workers in the prime of their lives. I fully believe that a better understanding of biology is the only way forward in order to improve treatment and survival outcomes for breast cancer patients. There are still so many areas to be discovered… I have been lucky enough to work with two fantastic people at the Jules Bordet institute in Brussels, namely Professors Martine Piccart and Christos Sotiriou.

It was also very important for me to be able to identify my own ‘niche’ of research --PI3K pathway. In today’s research setting, it is very important to scan the environment around you and evaluate the areas with high potential, those where your research can contribute something new and you can be recognized for being the one dealing with that specific aspect that nobody else (or only few others) are addressing.

IMPAKT is great as it is still a small conference and you can talk with a lot of experts (clinical, translational, scientists, established and “up and coming”). I highly recommend it to all those interested in breast cancer translational research.