Sharon Glynn

Dr. Sharon Glynn recently served as lead author on a paper entitled, "A Mitochondrial Target Sequence Polymorphism in MnSOD Predicts Inferior Survival in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Cyclophosphamide," which appeared in Clinical Cancer Research on 9 June 2009. The paper demonstrates how a genetic variant located in the SOD2 gene may affect how an individual responds to the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide. "This study shows how, with the progress of individualized medicine, a diagnostic test may be developed that determines whether a patient has certain genetic variations that may modify the effect of certain chemotherapies," said Dr. Glynn. For further information on Dr. Glynn's research in this area, please click here.

Dr. Glynn completed a Masters in Public Health from University College Dublin before beginning two years of research at the NCI. Working in the Laboratory of Carcinogenesis at the NCI's Center for Cancer Research, Dr. Glynn takes targets identified through molecular epidemiology and studies their biological significance in vitro to establish causal relationships and mechanisms. A unique aspect of her work lies in the application of both molecular epidemiology and basic laboratory research.

Specifically, Dr. Glynn's research program currently focuses on the impact of estrogen receptor (ER) status in breast cancer, the role of inflammation, and subsequent prognosis. During 2008, Dr. Glynn was invited to present her research on the role of nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) in predicting the prognosis of ER negative breast cancer patients at the Redox Biology Faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and at the 4th AICC in Dublin. In collaboration with Dr. David Wink of NCI’s Radiation Biology Branch and Dr. Stefan Ambs of NCI’s Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, she is now expanding her research portfolio to include the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in the remodeling of the tumor microenvironment, with hopes of identifying therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of ER negative breast cancer.

Dr. Glynn will continue her CPFP research at the NCI through 2009.

Reference: Glynn SA, Boersma BJ, Howe TM, et al. A Mitochondrial Target Sequence Polymorphism in MnSOD Predicts Inferior Survival in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Cyclophosphamide. Online June 9, 2009. Clinical Cancer Res.