My Breakthrough
Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at The University of Edinburgh was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales on 5 June 2008.
Scientists at the unit aim to improve breast cancer treatment and ensure women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer.
Professor Harrison: "This facility marks a significant step forward for breast cancer research in Scotland. By bringing together some of the best scientific and clinical minds in the country, we will be able to improve treatment available for women and ensure patients are able to reap the benefits of our work as quickly as possible."
The unit is based at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine with laboratories adjacent to the Edinburgh Breast Clinic in the Western General Hospital. The unit will bring together some of the best Scottish-based scientists and doctors to develop a centre of excellence for breast cancer research.
Women with this type of tumour are usually treated with hormone therapies such as tamoxifen, but not everyone benefits from these treatments and many women experience the problem of drug resistance where their treatment stops working. The ultimate aim of the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh, is to ensure women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer, overcoming or avoiding the problem of drug resistance.
Scientists at the unit will use cutting-edge technology to examine how hormone-sensitive breast cancers respond to hormone therapies such as tamoxifen. In future, this research should allow doctors to predict very soon after starting treatment whether individual patients would benefit from hormone therapy, allowing them to receive the most appropriate treatment. It will also enable scientists to develop new treatments for this form of the disease.
The teams are particularly interested in drug resistance – when a treatment stops working. Tamoxifen and other anti-oestrogen drugs are key treatments for women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer because they reduce the ability of breast cancer cells to use oestrogen to grow, helping to prevent the disease spreading to other parts of the body or returning, and controlling tumours that have already spread. However, over time some patients’ tumours become resistant to treatment and this is the major reason why cancer can return. Scientists at the new unit aim to find ways to overcome or avoid this problem.
By opening this and two other new research units, (in Manchester and King’s College London) we aim to create a network of research to make absolutely certain that we can co-operate and share resources to tackle all aspects of breast cancer.
Working in partnership
The Breakthrough Research Unit in Edinburgh is led by Mr Mike Dixon, Consultant Surgeon at the Western General Hospital, and Professor David Harrison, Professor of Pathology at The University of Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre.Professor Harrison: "This facility marks a significant step forward for breast cancer research in Scotland. By bringing together some of the best scientific and clinical minds in the country, we will be able to improve treatment available for women and ensure patients are able to reap the benefits of our work as quickly as possible."The unit is based at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine with laboratories adjacent to the Edinburgh Breast Clinic in the Western General Hospital. The unit will bring together some of the best Scottish-based scientists and doctors to develop a centre of excellence for breast cancer research.
The unit's research
Research at the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh will focus on improving treatment for hormone-sensitive breast cancer, the most common form of the disease.I’m really pleased that Breakthrough Breast Cancer is opening this new research unit at the hospital where I received my treatment. It’s really important that scientists in the lab and doctors in the hospital can work together closely so patients can benefit from new advances as quickly as possible.
Alison Walker, from Edinburgh, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and is a member of Breakthrough’s
Alison Walker, from Edinburgh, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and is a member of Breakthrough’s
Women with this type of tumour are usually treated with hormone therapies such as tamoxifen, but not everyone benefits from these treatments and many women experience the problem of drug resistance where their treatment stops working. The ultimate aim of the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh, is to ensure women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer, overcoming or avoiding the problem of drug resistance.
Scientists at the unit will use cutting-edge technology to examine how hormone-sensitive breast cancers respond to hormone therapies such as tamoxifen. In future, this research should allow doctors to predict very soon after starting treatment whether individual patients would benefit from hormone therapy, allowing them to receive the most appropriate treatment. It will also enable scientists to develop new treatments for this form of the disease.
The teams are particularly interested in drug resistance – when a treatment stops working. Tamoxifen and other anti-oestrogen drugs are key treatments for women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer because they reduce the ability of breast cancer cells to use oestrogen to grow, helping to prevent the disease spreading to other parts of the body or returning, and controlling tumours that have already spread. However, over time some patients’ tumours become resistant to treatment and this is the major reason why cancer can return. Scientists at the new unit aim to find ways to overcome or avoid this problem.
The future of this work
Scientists at the unit hope to ensure that women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular breast cancer, potentially benefiting thousands of women in Scotland and across the UK.By opening this and two other new research units, (in Manchester and King’s College London) we aim to create a network of research to make absolutely certain that we can co-operate and share resources to tackle all aspects of breast cancer.
See also
