Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer with limited targeted treatment options and a high risk of early relapse. A major challenge is predicting which patients will respond well to treatment and which patients may need alternative therapeutic strategies.

This project will develop a new blood-based approach to monitor triple-negative breast cancer using extracellular vesicles, which are tiny particles released by tumor cells into the bloodstream. These vesicles carry proteins that can reflect tumor behavior, treatment response, and disease progression. We will use DNA aptamers, short synthetic DNA molecules that can bind specific proteins, to measure key proteins on the surface of extracellular vesicles. By combining aptamer-based detection with a microfluidic extracellular vesicle isolation platform, we aim to create a sensitive and scalable method for profiling multiple cancer-related markers from patient blood samples.

Using blood samples collected before and after treatment, this study will test whether extracellular vesicle protein signatures can help predict treatment response and early relapse in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. If successful, this work could support more personalized treatment decisions and provide a foundation for future blood-based cancer monitoring tools.

Dingran Chang, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas
Junior Faculty, Kansas Institute for Precision Medicine COBRE
Email: dingran.chang@ku.edu