For Immediate Release: March 4, 2025
By Alison Medley
When breast cancer survivor and obstetrician, Ellen Landsberger, was 43 years old, she received the devastating news that she had breast cancer.
“I was completely shocked,” Landsberger said. “I had a negative mammogram. I went to surgeon—and said, “let’s just follow this.” I just said, ‘just remove it, let’s take it out.’ And it was cancer, so I used my knowledge from my experience as a physician.”
Landsberger is a dedicated partner of the patient-led cancer advocacy group, Guiding Researchers and Advocates to Scientific Partnerships (G.R.A.S.P.) In collaboration with G.R.A.S.P. cancer advocates, University of Houston’s Dr. Samaneh Karami has achieved a new accomplishment in her groundbreaking breast cancer research. Karami has just been awarded a prestigious new honor, as the G.R.A.S.P. Advocate Choice Award recipient.
“It is a great honor and recognition for me,” Karami said. “Our main goal is to make a meaningful impact on cancer patients and to translate that to effective treatments for the patients. Receiving the award from GRASP was a very rewarding and amazing opportunity.”
Through a HEALTH-RCMI pilot grant, Karami is currently working on a study that explores human models for early detection of postpartum breast cancer. Karami hopes to develop a targeted breast cancer therapy that is personalized to a women's genetic variations. Karami’s pilot study is entitled, Human Model for Early Detection of Postpartum Breast Cancer in At-Risk Minorities.
“I’m developing a model, to understand why women develop cancer during the post-partum years,” Karami said. “I’m particularly focused on exploring the connection between childbirth and breast cancer during this critical time.”
Karami’s work is especially invaluable and timely now, since breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in the U.S. It is also the second leading cause of death among women, according to the American Cancer Society.
When Karami presented her research poster at the the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, she was encouraged by patient advocates, including Landsberger, who gave her positive feedback about her research findings.
“I received significant attention from the women advocates—who had developed breast cancer after childbirth,” Karami said. “The advocates also invited me to the post-conference. I was assigned to a group of patient advocates who are specifically interested in metastatic breast cancer. It was an invaluable opportunity to hear their questions and understand how they wanted to see my research benefit other women.”
Through this project, Karami is hoping to develop a platform or system which could potentially detect breast cancer in a woman, before the women go through the process of childbirth and post-partum. To build the platform, Karami currently getting samples from healthy women.
“We can use their cells from the breast to develop an organoid model,” Karami explained. “Understanding factors like lactation, pregnancy, and post-partum susceptibility is essential. This knowledge will help us improve outcomes by creating more accurate detection methods and personalized treatment plans that are better suited to each patient’s needs.”
For Landsberger, serving as a patient advocate through G.R.A.S.P. has been an enlightening experience.
“I got involved with G.R.A.S.P. because I knew the two women who started it, and it’s a fabulous opportunity,” Landsberger said. “It’s important to help women to become more aware not just of post-partum breast cancer, but so that they can be better advocates. It is important that women can keep pushing and advocate for themselves.”
Through her partnership with G.R.A.S.P., Karami has experienced first-hand the impact of community-focused research.
“When patient advocates—the individuals who truly need to see this progress, engage with our work, it serves as a powerful motivator for researchers,” Karami said. “The focus should always be on what matters most to the patients. We strive to align our research with their needs, and their valuable insights guide us. Additionally, we aim to develop models that not only address those needs but also enhance cancer detection. The advocates often raise questions we haven’t even considered. It’s truly rewarding to know that the work I’m doing holds significant value for the patients.”
--Alison Medley
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Alison Medley at 713.320.0933 or email aemedle2@central.uh.edu
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