My Breakthrough
Breakthrough Research
Breakthrough is committed to funding high-quality, scientific research that tackles breast cancer from all angles.
We know that in order to realise our vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer, we need to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease, and look at ways to improve women’s quality of life.
Breakthrough is funding some of the world’s most talented breast cancer researchers, supporting them as they aim to improve the lives of everyone affected by this disease.The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre
The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre is housed at the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green building at The Institute of Cancer Research in London.
The Breakthrough Research Centre opened in 1999 and was the UK’s first dedicated breast cancer research facility.
Research so far has led to five clinical trials and, in 2004, we began the most comprehensive study into the causes of breast cancer ever undertaken - the Breakthrough Generations Study - in partnership with The Institute of Cancer Research.
At the research centre, 120 scientists and doctors work on cutting-edge research under the directorship of Professor Alan Ashworth.
Professor Ashworth was a key member of the team that discovered the breast cancer gene, BRCA2 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is considered to be one of the highest accolades a scientist can receive, short of a Nobel prizeThe Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Units
Breakthrough is opening three new research units across the UK. Each unit will have strong links with a major cancer hospital or breast unit and research institute or university. They will also complement work already taking place at the internationally renowned Breakthrough Research Centre.
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at The University of Edinburgh was opened on 5th June 2008 by our Patron HRH The Prince of Wales. It’s work aims to improve and develop treatments for hormone-sensitive breast cancer. This is the most common type of breast cancer accounting for around 75% of all cases.
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at King’s College London, which is based at Guy’s Hospital, will investigate a poorly understood type of breast cancer called basal-like breast cancer. This is more common amongst younger women and those of African ethnicity.
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at The University of Manchester will investigate the very earliest stages of breast cancer development to identify new ways to detect and prevent the disease.
Breakthrough's Research Studies
Breakthrough Breast Cancer's research studies include:
The Breakthrough Generations Study is the largest, most comprehensive investigation into the causes of breast cancer in the UK. It is a groundbreaking study following 100,000 women for the next 40 years. The study was launched in 2004 by Breakthrough Breast Cancer in partnership with The Institute of Cancer Research.
It is estimated that over 60% of breast cancer patients use complementary therapies to help ease side effects of conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, little is known about their effect or safety when used alongside conventional breast cancer treatments.
Breakthrough is funding a programme of research to develop high quality, scientific studies looking at whether complementary therapies are effective in alleviating treatment side effects for breast cancer patients.
The first study to be funded is the ACU.FATIGUE study - the world’s largest and most advanced clinical trial to examine whether acupuncture may help women with breast cancer cope with fatigue, a major side effect of breast cancer treatment.
Around 300 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK, yet little is known about why some men develop the disease. In 2005, 92 men in the UK died from breast cancer compared to 74 deaths from testicular cancer.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer and The Institute of Cancer Research have launched the largest ever study to investigate the causes of breast cancer in men.
Hormone and HER2 negative, or ‘triple negative’ breast cancer, is a more aggressive type of breast cancer more common in younger women and those of African ethnicity. It can also be harder to treat because these tumours do not respond to targeted therapies like tamoxifen or Herceptin.
The first UK-based clinical trial, called the Triple Negative Trial, aims to develop a more tailored treatment for women with this type of breast cancer that has spread elsewhere in the body. It is being jointly funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Cancer Research UK.
Recently Published Research
Some of Breakthrough's more recently published research:
Drug Resistance
In February 2008, scientists at the Breakthrough Research Centre published the results of two studies investigating why some breast cancers become resistant to treatment.
This research is important because drug resistance is a major reason why cancer may return and only by understanding why this happens can we begin to develop ways to overcome it for the benefit of patients.
In one study, the team, led by Professor Alan Ashworth, identified that a protein called CDK10 can determine whether some hormone-sensitive breast cancers become resistant to hormone treatments like tamoxifen. This research was published in the scientific journal, Cancer Cell - read more here.
The second research study was published in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature and focused on women with a faulty BRCA2 gene whose tumours had become resistant to treatment.
Scientists, once more led by Professor Alan Ashworth, discovered a new genetic mechanism that helps cancer cells survive by making them resistant to treatment. They believe this particular mechanism of resistance might be a common way by which many other types of cancer become resistant to treatment. Read more here
The Tip60 Gene
Breakthrough funded scientists have helped to identify a critical role for a gene called Tip60 in breast cancer.
Breakthrough funded scientists have helped to identify a critical role for a gene called Tip60 in breast cancer.
The research, which was published in the scientific journal Nature in August 2007, shows for the first time that Tip60 is linked to breast cancer development, and is associated with more aggressive forms of the disease.
The team at The Breakthrough Research Centre studied the Tip60 gene in breast biopsies. They discovered that the activity of this gene is significantly lower in breast cancer tissue compared with normal breast tissue. This could have important implications for how some breast cancers are treated in the future.For further information
Laura Gibsonlgibson@breakthrough.org.uk
Tel: 02070252488
