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Lay abstract (no permission to release technical abstract): Research in the field of cancer biology has established that not all cancers are identical. That is, two patients diagnosed with breast cancer may have two very different diseases. This has major implications for cancer treatment, and establishes a need to better understand the molecular basis of cancer. One of the major players in the development of over 30% of breast cancers is Myc, a protein found in all of the cells in the body and involved in a number of important activities. Cancer cells often lose normal control of Myc which frees it to participate in carcinogenesis. This research aims to determine what happens on a molecular level when Myc loses normal control. In so doing, we hope to be able to develop a method to distinguish those cancers in which Myc is an important player. Additionally, these cancers are usually more aggressive, with poor patient outcomes, we aim to better understand how we can specifically target Myc with novel therapeutics. Personalized diagnosis and treatment are at the forefront of cancer research, this work aims towards both of these ideals through the study of Myc.

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