Angela Hartley Brodie (28 September 1934 – 7 June 2017) was a British biochemist who pioneered development of
steroidal aromatase inhibitors in
cancer research
Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.
Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...
. Born in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
(now
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
), Brodie studied chemical pathology to a doctoral level in Sheffield and was awarded a fellowship sponsored by
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
. After 17 years of working in
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Shrewsbury (/ˈʃruzberi/ ''SHROOZ-bury'') is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Shrewsbury, unlike the surrounding towns of Grafton, Millbury, Westborough, Northborough, Boylston, and West Boylston did not become a ...
on oral contraceptives with Harry Brodie, whom she married, she switched focus to the effects of the oestrogen-producing enzyme,
aromatase
Aromatase (), also called estrogen synthetase or estrogen synthase, is an enzyme responsible for a key step in the biosynthesis of estrogens. It is CYP19A1, a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, which are monooxygenases that catalyze many ...
, on breast cancer.
Brodie managed to get an aromatase inhibitor into a limited clinical trial in breast cancer patients in London, which had such a profound effect that it led to
Novartis
Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...
-sponsored trials, the development of
formestane
Formestane, formerly sold under the brand name Lentaron among others, is a steroidal, selective aromatase inhibitor which is used in the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The drug is not active orally ...
, the first aromatase inhibitor, eventually marketed in 1994. Brodie's work has been hailed "as among the most important contributions to cancer cure."
Early life and education
Brodie was born Angela Hartley on 28 September 1934
in
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
, Lancashire, England.
[Geoff Watt]
Obituary Angela Mary Hartley Brodie
The Lancet. 12 August 2017 Her father,
Herbert Hartley, was an
industrial chemist
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. The ...
working in
polyurethanes
Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane is produced fro ...
[ who inspired her interest in science.] Brodie was educated at a Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
boarding school before studying at University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
, where she earned a degree in biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
.
After leaving university, she took a job in a blood bank
A blood bank is a center where blood gathered as a result of blood donation is stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a department of a hospital usually within a Clinical Pathology laborat ...
before finding a laboratory position as a research assistant in the Department of Hormone Research at Manchester's Christie Hospital
The Christie Hospital in Manchester, England, is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe. It is managed by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The hospital was established by a committee under the chairmanship of Richard Ch ...
[ Whilst there, she concentrated on oestrogen-dependent breast cancer for two years before joining the ]University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
to study for her doctorate.
In 1961, Brodie received her PhD in chemical pathology from the University of Manchester,[ where her research focussed primarily on the hormone ]aldosterone
Aldosterone is the main mineralocorticoid steroid hormone produced by the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex in the adrenal gland. It is essential for sodium conservation in the kidney, salivary glands, sweat glands, and colon. It plays a c ...
.
Career, 1962–2016
As a result of her doctorate, she was awarded a National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
sponsored, 1-year post-doctoral training fellowship, at Clark University
Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...
and the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology The Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research (WFBR) was a non-profit biomedical research institute based in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States.
History
The foundation was established as an independent research center under the name Worces ...
in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Shrewsbury (/ˈʃruzberi/ ''SHROOZ-bury'') is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Shrewsbury, unlike the surrounding towns of Grafton, Millbury, Westborough, Northborough, Boylston, and West Boylston did not become a ...
. She researched at Worcester Foundation between 1962 and 1979. There, she worked initially on the oral contraceptive Oral contraceptives, abbreviated OCPs, also known as birth control pills, are medications taken by mouth for the purpose of birth control.
Female
Two types of female oral contraceptive pill, taken once per day, are widely available:
* The combin ...
usage of aldosterone, alongside a number of scientists. This included Harry Brodie, whom she married in 1964, and Mika Hayano, who died of breast cancer in her 40s.
Over the next few years, Brodie took time away from her work when her two sons, Mark and John Hartley Brodie (1970–2006) were born.
When Brodie returned to work in 1971, she joined her husband's lab as staff scientist, moving into breast cancer research, especially its link with oestrogen and an enzyme that produces it, aromatase
Aromatase (), also called estrogen synthetase or estrogen synthase, is an enzyme responsible for a key step in the biosynthesis of estrogens. It is CYP19A1, a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, which are monooxygenases that catalyze many ...
. They developed several steroidal aromatase inhibitors, she focused on 4-OHA.
In 1979, she moved to Maryland, encouraged by Cornelia Channing
Cornelia "Nina" Channing (1938–1985) was an American professor of physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her research focused on endocrinology and fertility; along with longtime collaborators Neena Schwartz and Darrell Wa ...
to join the University of Maryland School of Medicine
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Me ...
, first as an associate professor.[ Later she became Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics along with an appointment in the Department of Physiology][ and a researcher role in the ]University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center
The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center located in Baltimore, Maryland.
Overview
The UMGCCC is located on the me ...
.[ She presented a paper on her aromatase inhibitors at a Rome conference in 1980, which led to collaboration with Charles Coombes, a British ]oncologist
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...
to start clinical trials on the inhibitor–4-hydroxyandrostenedione (4-OHA) in Royal Marsden Hospital
The Royal Marsden Hospital (RM) is a specialist cancer treatment hospital in London based in Kensington and Chelsea, next to the Royal Brompton Hospital, in Fulham Road with a second site in Belmont, close to Sutton Hospital, High Down and D ...
. Coombes gave 4-OHA to 11 women in 1982,[ with 4 seeing a dramatic improvement. The results were encouraging enough that ]Novartis
Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...
was willing to fund further clinical trials.
4-OHA, named Formestane
Formestane, formerly sold under the brand name Lentaron among others, is a steroidal, selective aromatase inhibitor which is used in the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The drug is not active orally ...
, was the first aromatase inhibitor used on breast cancer patients and proved to be a significant improvement on tamoxifen
Tamoxifen, sold under the brand name Nolvadex among others, is a selective estrogen receptor modulator used to prevent breast cancer in women and treat breast cancer in women and men. It is also being studied for other types of cancer. It has b ...
, the standard cancer drug used to treat oestrogen receptor
Estrogen receptors (ERs) are a group of proteins found inside cell (biology), cells. They are receptor (biochemistry), receptors that are activated by the hormone estrogen (17β-estradiol). Two classes of ER exist: nuclear estrogen receptors (ER ...
-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The drug was first marketed in 1994.
In 2005, Brodie received the prestigious Kettering Prize The Charles F. Kettering Prize was a US$250,000 award given by the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation for the most outstanding recent contribution to the diagnosis or treatment of cancer.
__TOC__
History
The award was named in honor of Charl ...
, the first woman to receive the award,[ though she did not know she had been nominated.] At the time, she was on the editorial board of multiple professional journals, reviewed grant applications for the NIH,[ had published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals,][ and was a member of the integration for the US Army Department of Defense Army Breast Cancer Program.][
In 2016, she retired from the University of Maryland.]
Personal life and death
According to co workers Brodie "was kind and generous but not weak. She knew how to stand up for herself and push her own agenda." She "had a steely determination combined with a positive can-do attitude."[ Brodie's hobbies were horseback riding, hiking and gardening.][In Memoriam: Angela Hartley Brodie, Ph.D.]
7 June 2017 University of Maryland School of Medicine
In 2006, her son John, died from accidental drowning.
She never intended to retire, and collaborated with Vincent Njar on aromatase inhibitors in prostate cancer for the rest of her life.[ She died on 7 June 2017 at the age of 82 at her home in ]Fulton, Maryland
Fulton is a census-designated place located in southern Howard County, Maryland, Howard County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 2,049.
History
Indigenous peoples, likely Piscataway, ...
, from complications due to Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
.[
]
Awards
* 1998 Pharmacia
Pharmacia was a pharmaceutical and biotechnological company in Sweden that merged with the American pharmaceutical company Upjohn in 1995.
History
Pharmacia company was founded in 1911 in Stockholm, Sweden by pharmacist Gustav Felix Grönfeldt ...
and Upjohn
The Upjohn Company was a pharmaceutical manufacturing firm founded in 1886 in Hastings, Michigan, by Dr. William E. Upjohn who was an 1875 graduate of the University of Michigan medical school. The company was originally formed to make ''friabl ...
International Award for Excellence in Published Clinical Research[
* 2000 Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction from Susan G. Komen for the Cure]
* 2005 Charles F. Kettering Prize The Charles F. Kettering Prize was a US$250,000 award given by the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation for the most outstanding recent contribution to the diagnosis or treatment of cancer.
__TOC__
History
The award was named in honor of Charl ...
from the General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
Cancer Research Awards[
* 2006 Dorothy P. Landon-]American Association for Cancer Research
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including basic, clinical, and t ...
Prize for Translational Cancer Research[
* 2006 Health Care Heroes Award sponsored by The Daily Record newspaper.
* 2007 ]University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School is a public medical school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is part of the University of Massachusetts system. It is home to three schools: the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, the Morningside Grad ...
presented Gregory Pincus
Gregory Goodwin Pincus (April 9, 1903 – August 22, 1967) was an American biologist and researcher who co-invented the combined oral contraceptive pill.
Early life
Gregory Goodwin Pincus was born in Woodbine, New Jersey to Jewish parents, who we ...
Medal
* 2010 Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine[
* 2010 Jill Rose Award for Distinguished Scientific Achievement
* 2012 ]Pharmacia
Pharmacia was a pharmaceutical and biotechnological company in Sweden that merged with the American pharmaceutical company Upjohn in 1995.
History
Pharmacia company was founded in 1911 in Stockholm, Sweden by pharmacist Gustav Felix Grönfeldt ...
-ASPET
''Aspet'' (, , ''Aspetes'' in contemporary Greek) was a hereditary military title of the Armenian nobility, usually found within the Bagratuni family.Toumanoff, Cyril (1963), ''Studies in Christian Caucasian History III'', pp. 202, 324-26. Georget ...
Award for Experimental Therapeutics[
* 2013 Fellow of the ]American Association for Cancer Research
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including basic, clinical, and t ...
Academy
References
External links
An Interview with Dr. Angela Brodie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodie, Angela Hartley
1934 births
2017 deaths
Cancer researchers
University of Maryland, Baltimore faculty
People from Oldham
Alumni of the University of Sheffield
Alumni of the University of Manchester
University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty
Neurological disease deaths in Maryland
Deaths from Parkinson's disease
Scientists from Manchester