Elizabeth Wellberg, PhD

Biography

My training is in normal mammary gland biology and breast cancer metabolism. I currently hold an NCI R01 focused on FGF-FGFR signaling in endocrine-resistant breast cancer. I study the “vicious cycle” surrounding obesity and estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. My research focuses on the mechanisms through which obesity promotes breast cancer relapse and progression, and also on the metabolic effects of estrogen deprivation that occur with endocrine (anti-estrogen) therapy. I established a transplant-competent murine model of obesity and glucose intolerance, in which I grow breast cancer patient derived xenograft tumors (PDX) as well as established human breast cancer cell lines. I am currently investigating the mechanisms through which growth factor signaling potentiates the response to estrogen in the obese environment, potentially through ligand-independent activation of the estrogen receptor. Other projects in my laboratory focus on how obesity moderates the effects of ER antagonists and estrogen deprivation on adipose tissue expansion and adipocyte progenitor cell renewal and differentiation. We are also evaluating the role of ER in immune cell-mediated menopausal weight gain. Our overall research goals include 1) identifying host (environment)-specific drivers of breast cancer therapy resistance in the context of obesity; 2) determining the effects of estrogens and endocrine therapy on adipose, liver, skeletal muscle, and immune cell biology, and 3) identifying and modeling the patient population at risk for adverse effects associated with endocrine therapy and implement appropriate ways to monitor and intervene to prevent breast cancer relapse. I combine basic research techniques with preclinical (mouse and rat) models of obesity and clinical studies to comprehensively investigate the relationship between obesity, metabolic disease, and breast cancer progression.

Email

Elizabeth-Wellberg@ouhsc.edu

Additional Websites

• Publications
• OUHSC Research Profile

Research Interests:

• Breast cancer
• Obesity
• Estrogen signaling
• Adipose tissue
• Metabolism