New teams join the Breakthrough Research Centre

Two young and outstanding scientists have been appointed as new team leaders at the Breakthrough Research Centre. Specialising in pathology and stem cell biology, their work is poised to take Breakthrough into a new era of research into the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Dr Matthew Smalley has been appointed team leader of the Mammary Stem Cells Laboratory and is based in newly acquired laboratory space at the Breakthrough Research Centre. Current evidence suggests that stem cells may be a cruicial link in understanding the first stages of breast cancer development . Dr Smalley will aim to identify breast stem cells, investigating their role in the normal breast and then how they may become cancerous, or give rise to cancerous cells.

Dr Jorge Reis-Filho was appointed team leader of the Pathology Laboratory. His research aims to identify genes that are involved at different stages of breast cancer progression and distinct types of breast cancer. It is hoped that from this information a more accurate way of classifying breast cancers can be developed, based on type, grade and hormonal status but also including genetic changes. This could impact on the way breast cancer is diagnosed and treated in the future.