Breakthrough Breast Cancer opens £4.2m London research unit to find treatments for aggressive type of breast cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer opens a new £4.2m research unit dedicated to finding treatments for and ways of preventing an aggressive type of breast cancer today.
The London research unit will investigate triple negative breast cancer, which is more common among younger women and those of African origin. Despite there being up to 6,000 new cases in the UK each year, very little is known about triple negative breast cancer. The research unit, the first of its kind in the UK, has been set up by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and King’s College London and is based at Guy’s Hospital.
Dr Andrew Tutt, Director of the research unit, said: “There are several different types of breast cancer and triple negative breast cancer is more difficult to treat than other forms of the disease. This is because tumours do not respond to targeted treatments like tamoxifen or Herceptin and are more likely to return after treatment.”
Scientists will be trying to find out more about triple negative breast cancer, in particular which genetic changes in the tumour cause or drive its growth. They want to learn more about the biology of the disease, including if there is a ‘cancer stem cell’ that causes it. With this knowledge, scientists will be trying to find new ways to diagnose, treat and ultimately prevent this form of breast cancer.
The research team will be using cutting-edge technology to enable them to work more quickly and in more detail than ever before. The unit is equipped with an £80,000 Hamamatsu Nanozoomer, the latest digital microscope, which shows images of the body’s tissue at an unprecedented level of detail. It also enables scientists from around the world to digitally share and analyse microscopic images at the same time.
Sam Hills, from Peckham, south east London, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the age of 35. Sam was heavily pregnant at the time and could not be treated until after the birth of her son.
Sam, who is now 37 and in remission, said: “It was a real shock to be diagnosed with breast cancer because I thought it only happened to older women. It is so important to women like me that more treatments are made available to help fight breast cancer.”
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at King’s College London is based at Guy’s Hospital, part of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. It is adjacent to King’s College London Academic Breast Unit. Its location allows scientists and clinicians to work closely in collaboration.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is investing £4.2 million over five years to establish the research unit. It is one of three research units being opened in the UK by the leading charity. They each focus on a specific area of breast cancer research and all have strong links with a major cancer hospital or breast unit and research institute or university. The units complement work at the world-renowned Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research in west London, the UK’s first dedicated centre for breast cancer research.
Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK – nearly 46,000 women are diagnosed with the disease each year. Only through research can we improve our understanding of breast cancer and devise ways to better treat, diagnose and prevent the disease. The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit, King’s College London, will play a vital role in developing our knowledge of triple negative breast cancer.”
Find out more about the Breakthrough Research Unit, King’s College London
