Document Type

Student Conference

Semester of Graduation

Spring 2026

Abstract

Of the estimated 2.3 million women globally who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, nearly 25% will be diagnosed with the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype. Because TNBC lacks specific targets present in other breast cancers, conventional selective treatments are ineffective making TNBC more difficult to treat. TNBC is the most lethal subtype of breast cancer in women and causes approximately 150,000 deaths annually, highlighting the critical need for effective therapeutics. Therefore, our aim is to identify new potential therapeutic agents for TNBC.

The abietane natural product family is a group of tricyclic diterpenoids which have been isolated from many plant species across the world. Several abietanes have been found to display pharmaceutically relevant properties such as antifungal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities. We hypothesize that these molecules can be chemically modified to selectively target TNBC.

Our approach consists of three main components: synthesis of abietane derivatives, evaluation of the compounds’ effects on TNBC and non-cancerous cells through in vitro assays such as CellTiter-Glo®, and mechanistic studies such as tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester assays to determine the compounds’ mechanisms of action. It was found that incorporation of heteroatoms into these compounds enhanced their biological activity against TNBC cell models without harming non-cancerous cells. Our compounds showed potent cytotoxicity towards TNBC, inhibited TNBC colony formation, and induced mitochondrial membrane depolarization.

Based on these results, the synthesized abietane derivatives show potential as lead compounds for further development through preclinical studies, representing a possible new therapeutic approach for TNBC.

Awardee Name

Sydney Lawson

Academic Major

Biological Sciences & Mathematics

Project Mentor

Fatima Rivas

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