Suhad Ali

Advanced metastatic breast cancer is a major clinical challenge. Loss of cellular differentiation and increased cellular plasticity and stemness contribute to tumour relapse, metastasis, heterogeneity, and therapeutic resistance. Identifying the mechanisms that regulate tumour cell differentiation is therefore important for the discovery of new biomarkers and the development of targeted and safe therapeutic approaches. My research program focuses on differentiation therapy (DT) as a novel therapeutic strategy for breast cancer, with particular emphasis on poorly differentiated and metastatic disease, including therapeutically challenging subtypes such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We have generated molecular and preclinical evidence supporting the lactation hormone prolactin as a potential differentiation-based therapeutic approach in breast cancer. Building on these findings, we are investigating the mechanisms through which prolactin promotes tumour cell differentiation and cellular reprogramming, and how these processes may contribute to limiting breast tumour development and progression. Our research integrates molecular and cellular studies with rigorous preclinical validation, including patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying differentiation-based therapeutic responses and identify biomarkers that may inform patient selection and treatment response. The overarching objectives of our research program are to develop novel differentiation-based therapeutic strategies and prognostic biomarkers for breast cancer, with the goal of advancing these innovative approaches toward clinical translation and ultimately providing safer and more effective therapeutic options for patients with advanced and treatment-resistant disease.