Breast cancer research funding for Oxford

Press release 19 April 2010 Media Contact: Claire Learner, Media Relations Officer, Breast Cancer Campaign, 020 7749 3705 email: clearner@breastcancercampaign.org Breast cancer research funding for Oxford Breast Cancer Campaign has awarded a pilot grant worth £20,000 to Dr Stephan Feller at the University of Oxford to study a molecule involved in breast cancer spread. The grant, which forms part of £5 million awarded by Breast Cancer Campaign in 2009, will allow Dr Feller to study GEP100, a molecule thought to kick start breast cancer cell movement to other parts of the body. When GEP100 attaches to another molecule called EGFR, chemical messages are produced which instruct the cancer cells to spread. In this groundbreaking project Dr Feller and his team hope to discover exactly how these molecules fit together. Dr Feller said, “I am grateful to Breast Cancer Campaign for this grant. Unlocking the secret of how these two molecules interact could help scientists design ways to prevent them from joining together, which could form the basis of new treatments to halt cancer spread.” Arlene Wilkie, Director of Research and Policy, Breast Cancer Campaign said, “Despite clinical advances around 12,000 people in the UK die each year mainly as a result of their breast cancer spreading. This pilot grant could be the first step in finding urgently needed new treatments to stop this from happening and increase the chances of survival for thousands of people.” Ends Notes to editors • Breast Cancer Campaign aims to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure • Currently it supports 114 research projects, worth over £17.1 million, in 40 centres of excellence across the UK and Ireland • Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for nearly one in three of all cancers in women • In the UK, nearly 46,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year - that’s 125 a day • Visit www.breastcancercampaign.org • Read Chief Executive Pamela Goldberg’s blog http://pamelagoldbergblog