Advancing New Treatment Options for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Staff and students at McGill’s Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute join National Denim Day to help advance breast cancer research and support patients across Canada.

This urgent reality drives the research of Jason Topolski, a first-year MSc student in Biochemistry working in Dr. Morag Park’s lab at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute.

As a recipient of the CURE Foundation Fellowship in Breast Cancer Research, Jason is studying triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. While chemotherapy is a primary treatment, some cancer cells survive and can lead to recurrence.

Jason’s research focuses on these treatment-resistant cells and explores why they persist after chemotherapy. Specifically, he is investigating lipid droplets—tiny fat-storage structures that may help cancer cells withstand treatment.

By understanding how these lipid droplets form and function, Jason hopes to uncover new therapeutic targets that could lead to more effective treatment options for TNBC patients.

“It's necessary to have multiple treatment options in case first-line therapy does not work,” says Jason. “Fundamental research is critical in this regard.”

Support through the CURE Foundation Fellowship allows Jason to focus on innovative research that may help shape future breast cancer treatments.