Grants Will Fund 11 Translational Breast Cancer Research Studies

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Article Date: 04 Oct 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has received nearly $19 million in grants from Susan G. Komen for the Cure® as part of that organization's new initiative to fast-track promising research to benefit breast cancer patients.

Ranging from $120,000 to $7.5 million, the grants will be allocated across 11 different translational breast cancer research studies with the intent to bring treatments from the laboratory to patient care as quickly as possible.

Of the $100 million awarded to 81 institutions worldwide, M. D. Anderson received the largest total amount of grant funds. The grants will enable M. D. Anderson to build on its historic strengths in translational research and multidisciplinary care and continue to rapidly advance patient treatment.

"The millions of survivors alive today are a testament to how far we have come in the treatment and management of breast cancer, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure has played a tremendous role in that progress," said M. D. Anderson President John Mendelsohn, M.D. "Komen's breakthrough grants will enable us to make even greater strides in breast cancer research, and are particularly valuable in this era of flat federal funding."

The grants dedicate resources for M. D. Anderson to conduct basic and clinical research on breast cancer issues such as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, endocrine therapies, immunotherapies and nutritional prevention. Research teams of bench scientists and clinicians will look to answer important questions, including issues regarding discrepancies in treatment response, the spread of cancer to other organs, effects of obesity on cancer, the ability to identify who is at risk for developing cancer, the efficacy of a breast cancer vaccine and how to detect breast cancer at the earliest possible stage.

"M. D. Anderson has enjoyed a long relationship with Komen, and in fact, received one of its first grants. We are extraordinarily grateful for its years of support and the collaborative spirit, which has made a tangible difference in the lives of thousands touched by this disease. These latest grants are testament to Komen's continued passion and resolve to see this disease eradicated. Their innovation challenges us and inspires us," he added

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure® initiative reflects a new direction in the organization's research program to address gaps in funding for non-traditional approaches, support promising post-doctoral research and attract a future generation of young cancer researchers. The $100 million pledged this year is the largest one-year commitment of breast cancer research funding by a nonprofit organization.

The new initiative also includes Promise Grants, which are large-scale grants for translational research. Today's announcement included three such grants for M. D. Anderson: $7.2 million for nutritional prevention; $7.1 million for immunotherapy research done in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine; and the initiative's inaugural Promise Grant, made earlier this year and funded in partnership with American Airlines, for $7.5 million to study and treat inflammatory breast cancer, a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer.

"All of our grantees have outstanding reputations for excellent cancer care, and for tackling the most difficult questions in cancer today, said Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.® "These grants are designed to bring to bear the best these institutions have to offer so that we might have a tremendous impact on women facing breast cancer over the next decades."

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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A complete list of grants can be found at http://www.komen.org/.

About M. D. Anderson

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. M. D. Anderson is one of only 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For four of the past six years, M. D. Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in "America's Best Hospitals," a survey published annually in U.S. News and World Report.

Source: Jennifer Robinso
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center