The Lee/Oesterreich Lab of the Magee-Women’s Research Institute is headed by the husband/wife team of Adrian Lee, PhD (pictured left), Professor of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology and Human Genetics, and Director, Institute for Precision Medicine, and Steffi Oesterreich, PhD (pictured right), Professor & Vice Chair, Precision and Translational Pharmacology, and Co-Director of the Women’s Cancer Research Center. Dr. Oesterrich is also an affiliated faculty member of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
During the 2022 Pitt Faculty Honors Convocation Ceremony, both Drs. Lee and Oesterreich received medals recognizing their distinguished accomplishments. Dr. Lee received his medal for his position as the Pittsburgh Foundation Endowed Chair in Precision Medicine. Dr. Oesterrich received her medal for her position as the Shear Family Endowed Chair in Breast Cancer Research.
Members of the Lee/Oesterreich Lab study the molecular basis of breast cancer development and resistance to therapy, with the goal to improve precision medicine and outcomes for breast cancer patients. The laboratory employs a systems biology approach, utilizing a combination of single cell and bulk sequencing, computational methods, and biological models to identify and validate new drivers and therapeutic targets. Hypotheses are tested in vitro and in vivo and then moved to clinical trials.
The majority of studies incorporate analysis of human specimens, in collaboration with a large network of clinicians and nurses. This includes computational analysis and modeling of large biomedical and genomic datasets including electronic health record data.
A major focus of the laboratory is identifying mechanisms of resistance to endocrine therapy, and new approaches to blocking breast cancer metastasis through precision medicine. This includes the study of estrogen receptor (ESR1) mutations and fusions and synergism with growth factor pathways. A special focus is on the understanding of invasive lobular cancer (ILC), the second most common but understudied histological subtype of breast cancer.
Congratulations, Drs. Lee and Oesterreich!
Illustration: Lee/Oesterreich Lab.
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