Human breast cancer is a collection of diseases with distinct histopathological and molecular features and diverse prognostic outcomes. Over the past decades, modeling of human breast cancer has come much closer to encompassing this diversity. Cell line models, genetically engineered mice and human-in-mouse models have provided detailed insight into the cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic processes that drive breast tumorigenesis and metastasis formation. In addition, these models provide the tools to define the underlying mechanisms of drug response and acquired resistance. Once these processes are understood in sufficient detail it may be possible to design (combination) therapies that give rise to complete remissions, while at the same time eliminating remnant cells that might elicit recurrent disease.
Educational Session: Mammary Tumor Modeling

Drug responses and therapy resistance in conditional mouse models of breast cancer; Jos Jonkers. Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oncogene mediated signal transduction and transgenic mouse models of human breast cancer; William J. Muller. McGill Univ., Montréal, QC, Canada

Bottom-up approaches to understanding breast cancer metastasis and its treatment; Andy J. Minn. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Human-in-mouse models: Drug studies in human tissue transgenic breast tumors; Murray O. Robinson. AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, MA,