The AACR-Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Invasive Lobular Carcinoma Research Fellowship is a joint effort to support and encourage innovative research projects with direct applicability and relevance to ILC and to help establish a successful career path in the field.

2026 Grantees

Scientific Statement of Research

This project addresses the clinical challenges of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), including poor diagnostic reproducibility and suboptimal prognostic tools. Leveraging a multinational cohort of over 3,000 cases from Institut Curie and MSK, Dr. Djerroudi will utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a next-generation histobiological classification (AI-NGH) for ILC. This framework integrates morphological patterns, tumor microenvironment (TME) classes, and molecular profiles predicted directly from routine H&E slides. The study will evaluate the prognostic significance of the AI-NGH model and implement it into a unified, cost-effective platform named VIBE-ILC (Virtual Integrative Biological Evaluation for ILC). Furthermore, the researcher will apply these models to spatial transcriptomics to identify novel TME-related therapeutic targets within highly predictive regions. This work aims to deliver the first dedicated diagnostic and prognostic tools for ILC, enabling more precise patient stratification and personalized treatment strategies to ultimately improve clinical outcomes.

Biography

Dr. Djerroudi received his medical degree in Pathology from Paris Descartes University, and his doctoral degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Paris Sciences et Lettres University. He is currently a pathologist, specialist practitioner, and researcher at Institut Curie (Paris). His research integrates diagnostic pathology with molecular biology, focusing on invasive lobular carcinoma and the tumor microenvironment. He aims to improve breast cancer classification and prognostic prediction through high-resolution technologies and artificial intelligence.

Statement of Support

“This award provides critical support to transition toward independence. It will allow me to establish international collaborations and leverage artificial intelligence to redefine invasive lobular carcinoma classification. Ultimately, this funding accelerates my objective of translating integrated histobiological models into dedicated diagnostic tools that improve personalized care for breast cancer patients.”

Scientific Statement of Research

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the most common special histological breast cancer subtype, accounting for 10-15% of cases and distinguished by the loss of the cell-cell adhesion protein E-cadherin (Ecad). Although Ecad loss is known to alter the activity and localization of key cellular proteins, its broader effects on tumor biology remain poorly understood. Dr. Purdy’s preliminary finding suggests that Ecad loss drives large-scale redistribution of the proteome. This project will define the pathways responsible for these changes and determine whether they create therapeutic vulnerabilities specific to ILC. Using cell line and organoid models, Dr. Purdy will test new treatment strategies aimed at exploiting these vulnerabilities.

Biography

Dr. Purdy began his research training as an undergraduate at Purdue University, where he got his start in breast cancer research. Dr. Purdy earned his doctoral degree at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where he studied stress-induced selective mRNA translation via eukaryotic initiation factors eIF3d and eIF3e. He is currently a postdoctoral associate at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center, where he focuses on how E- cadherin loss drives proteome remodeling in invasive lobular carcinoma.

Statement of Support

“I am truly honored to receive the AACR-LBCA ILC research fellowship! This award will provide critical funding and protected research time, enabling me to further define the unique biology of ILC and explore new therapeutic strategies that hopefully will help patients in the future!”