ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-POSITIVE BREAST CANCER REPRESENTS THE MAJORITY OF CASES OF BREAST CANCER, WITH MORE THAN 70% PATIENTS CARRYING THIS SUBTYPE. ALTHOUGH GENERALLY LESS AGGRESSIVE THAN OTHER SUBTYPES, CANCER SURVIVORS OF ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-POSITIVE BREAST CANCER OFTEN FACE A HIDDEN THREAT LONG AFTER CURATIVE TREATMENT: THE LATE-ONSET SPREAD OF CANCER CELLS TO THEIR BONES, WHICH IS FREQUENTLY DEADLY AND CAN LEAD TO UNMANAGEABLE PAIN, FRACTURES, AND SUBSTANTIAL MEDICAL EXPENSES. CURRENT DRUG THERAPIES TO PREVENT THIS SPREAD CARRY SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS AND ARE PRESCRIBED FOR ONLY A FEW YEARS, EVEN THOUGH THE RISK CAN PERSIST FOR DECADES. THIS ISSUE NOT ONLY COMPROMISES INDIVIDUAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE BUT ALSO IMPOSES A HEAVY BURDEN ON FAMILIES, HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS, AND COMMUNITIES. OUR PRELIMINARY STUDY FOUND THAT A NATURAL COMPOUND, CHLOROGENIC ACID, CAN BLOCK THE MOLECULAR PATHWAY THAT ATTRACTS BREAST CANCER CELLS TO THE BONE MICROENVIRONMENT. WE THEREFORE HYPOTHESIZE THAT FARMERS GROWING FOODS NATURALLY RICH IN THIS COMPOUND, SUCH AS COFFEE BEANS, APPLES, BERRIES, AND VARIOUS VEGETABLES, HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR HEALTH-PROMOTING PRODUCE AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, SUPPORTING LOCAL AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMIES.IN OUR TWO-YEAR PROJECT, WE WILL FIRST QUANTIFY CHLOROGENIC ACID LEVELS IN A VARIETY OF WHOLE-FOOD EXTRACTS FROM COMMONLY CONSUMED PRODUCE. WE WILL THEN USE LABORATORY MODELS TO DETERMINE WHETHER EXTRACTS HIGH IN CHLOROGENIC ACID MOST EFFECTIVELY DISRUPT THE SIGNALING BETWEEN CANCER CELLS AND BONE CELLS, AND WHETHER THEY MODULATE THE GUT MICROBIOTA TO INHIBIT THE SPREAD OF BREAST CANCER TO BONE. FINALLY, WE WILL IDENTIFY WHICH FOODS EXHIBIT THE STRONGEST PROTECTIVE EFFECT.IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS RESEARCH WILL HIGHLIGHT SPECIFIC FOODS AND SIMPLE DIETARY ADJUSTMENTS THAT COULD SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE RISK OF BONE METASTASIS, OFFERING BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS A SAFE, COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR LONG-TERM HEALTH PROTECTION. THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, WE WILL DISSEMINATE CLEAR, PRACTICAL FINDINGS VIA EASY-TO-READ REPORTS, COMMUNITY WEBINARS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES. FARMERS AND FOOD PRODUCERS WILL GAIN DATA TO MARKET HIGH-VALUE, DISEASE-PREVENTIVE CROPS, WHILE COMMUNITIES AND HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS MAY BENEFIT FROM LOWER TREATMENT COSTS AND IMPROVED SURVIVOR WELL-BEING. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE HANDS-ON TRAINING IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, CANCER BIOLOGY, AND NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE THROUGH DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, EXECUTION, AND RELATED TEACHING MODULES.