Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Building Up a High-throughput Screening Platform to Assess the Heterogeneity of HER2 Gene Amplification in Breast Cancers
11:34

Building Up a High-throughput Screening Platform to Assess the Heterogeneity of HER2 Gene Amplification in Breast Cancers

Published on: December 5, 2017

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Activating mutations in HER2: neu opportunities and neu challenges

Britta Weigelt1, Jorge S Reis-Filho

  • 1Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA.

Cancer Discovery
|February 13, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified rare HER2 gene mutations in breast cancer. These findings suggest that existing HER2-targeted therapies may effectively treat patients with HER2-mutant breast cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • HER2 (Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2) gene amplification and protein overexpression are established drivers of breast cancer.
  • Anti-HER2 therapies have significantly improved outcomes for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of HER2 somatic mutations in breast cancer.
  • To determine if these mutations impact response to anti-HER2 agents.

Main Methods:

  • Genomic analysis of breast cancer samples.
  • Functional studies to assess the impact of identified mutations.

Main Results:

  • Identification of activating HER2 somatic mutations in a subset of breast cancer patients.
  • These mutations, although rare, were found to influence sensitivity to anti-HER2 therapies.

Conclusions:

  • The study identifies a new class of HER2 alterations in breast cancer.
  • These findings open possibilities for utilizing existing HER2-targeted drugs in patients with HER2-mutant breast cancer.

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