Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Moore, Jon

Abstract

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women, causing more than 40,000 deaths per year. Tamoxifen is the most widely prescribed Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator, as it has been shown to enable prevention of 50% of breast cancers. It is also prescribed to prevent cancer remission after surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. It is frequently used amongst women that have a high risk for breast cancer prior to diagnosis as a cancer preventative drug. Unfortunately, tamoxifen can cause damage to developing embryos if taken during pregnancy, and can lead to serious side effects, including endometrial cancer. The purpose of this work was to examine how tamoxifen induces uterine proliferation using an in vivo gene knockdown screen using shRNAmir viral technology. The shRNAmir library will identify epigenetic regulator proteins that associate with the estrogen receptor to stimulate uterine proliferative genes, allowing us to understand the extent at which tamoxifen leads to the development of cancerous cells.

Comments

Includes bibliography.

Extent

29 p.

Identifier

FA00003724

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