Filipa Lynce, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Academic Titles

Assistant Professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Research Program Affiliation

Member, Developmental Therapeutics

Member, Breast Cancer

Research Abstract

Dr. Filipa Lynce is a breast medical oncologist and clinical investigator whose research focuses on advancing precision therapies for hereditary and aggressive breast cancers through translational and clinical research. As Director of the Dana-Farber Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, her work centers on improving outcomes for patients with BRCA-associated breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Her research program integrates early-phase clinical trials with comprehensive translational analyses to better understand mechanisms of response and resistance to targeted therapies, particularly PARP inhibitors, antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), and immunotherapy combinations. Dr. Lynce serves as principal investigator of multiple investigator-initiated trials evaluating novel therapeutic strategies in hereditary breast cancer, including studies combining PARP inhibition with immune-modulating approaches and DNA damage response–targeted therapies. Her work has contributed to defining the biologic and immune landscape of BRCA1/2- and PALB2-associated breast cancers and identifying biomarkers associated with homologous recombination deficiency and therapeutic sensitivity.

A major focus of her research is the development of innovative treatment strategies for patients with metastatic BRCA-associated breast cancer and inflammatory breast cancer, populations with substantial unmet clinical need. Her translational efforts incorporate multi-omic profiling, spatial immunophenotyping, and serial tumor and blood-based biomarker analyses to better characterize tumor evolution and treatment-induced immune responses. She also leads collaborative efforts to refine diagnostic and prognostic tools in inflammatory breast cancer and to improve representation of understudied biologic subtypes, including hormone receptor–positive hereditary breast cancers.

Dr. Lynce has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and national presentations focused on hereditary breast cancer, PARP inhibitors, inflammatory breast cancer, and translational oncology. Her work is supported through collaborations with cooperative groups, investigator-initiated consortia, and funding from organizations including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Susan G. Komen. Through her clinical and translational research efforts, Dr. Lynce aims to accelerate the development of more effective, biomarker-driven therapies for patients with high-risk and treatment-resistant breast cancers