Adrienne Borrie
Adrienne Borrie completed her Honours BSc in Biology and Psychology at McMaster University. She then moved to Vancouver, BC to complete her MSc in Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia. She is currently pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Richard Kim in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology. Clinically important therapy for breast cancer includes a group of drugs called the aromatase inhibitors. These drugs are effective and generally well tolerated in most patients, but some experience unwanted effects, such as aches and pains in their joints. Other patients have disease recurrence indicating that there are different degrees of effectiveness of these medications. Currently it is not known which patients will respond to aromatase inhibitor therapy and which will be at risk for unwanted side effects, but is thought to be partly due to genetic differences in the genes responsible for the breakdown of drugs. This project will help scientists understand which genes cause unwanted effects with the hope that we can prevent them. Understanding the genetic background of a patient and how they break down drugs in their body will help us individualize therapy for patients undergoing breast cancer treatment.
