Prevent Breast Cancer Receives £67,000 to Fund Innovative Research Project
By Community Correspondent
Representatives from the Oddfellows, a national friendly society, visited the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) on Thursday 2 October to present a cheque for £67,068 to Prevent Breast Cancer to help progress its innovative breast cancer prevention research project.
The research project, carried out by University of Manchester PhD student Anthony Wilby and Dr Hannah Harrison, is aiming to discover alternative preventative breast cancer therapies for pre-menopausal women.
Coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, representatives from the Oddfellows including CEO Jane Nelson, Chairman John Mann, and Pam Casey – an Oddfellows member who nominated the project for funding – were invited by Prevent Breast Cancer for a tour of the Oglesby Cancer Research Building and Paterson Building in Withington, where Anthony and Hannah are conducting their research in the laboratories. Anthony also delivered a presentation on the research project.
The money, which will fund the project for two years, was raised through the Oddfellows’ HA Andrews Memorial Fund, which was set up in 1971 to back UK-based medical research projects and organisations. Since its launch, the fund has donated more than £1.1m.
Jane Nelson, CEO of the Oddfellows, said:
“We really appreciated having the chance to find out more about the Prevent Breast Cancer research project and be shown around the facilities at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre. The work they are doing here is not only impressive, but vitally important.
“I know that I speak for everyone involved with the Oddfellows when I say we’re immensely proud that we’re able to do our bit to progress such an important piece of research into cancer prevention.”
Currently, there are three preventative breast cancer treatment options available to post-menopausal women, but only one drug – Tamoxifen – is used for those who are yet to go through menopause.
Tamoxifen is effective in preventing breast cancer in about a third of high-risk women treated. However, for the other two thirds the drug is ineffective, and more active approaches are required.
Anthony and Hannah’s project uses a first-of-its-kind explant model, which cultures small fragments of human breast tissue in the laboratory to closely replicate the conditions of the human body.
The tissue, provided by the MCRC Biobank and predominantly sourced from donors in South Manchester, allows researchers to study how different drugs affect breast tissue in a realistic biological environment.
The team is conducting in-depth studies to compare how tissue cultured and treated in the model resembles matching breast tissue samples collected from clinical prevention trials.
Hannah said:
“Our preclinical model offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of current and novel preventative medicines on tissue taken from women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer. This will lead to identification of new drugs and treatments which can be targeted to the women who will respond and will ultimately reduce the risk of breast cancer development.”
The Oddfellows delegation was also joined by Prevent Breast Cancer’s CEO, Nikki Barraclough, and Trusts, Research and Impact Officer, Eva Hughes.
Nikki said: “We’re so grateful to the Oddfellows for its generous support. This funding will help pave the way for better methods to prevent breast cancer in women at high risk – allowing our researchers to test new preventative drugs in the lab.
“At Prevent Breast Cancer, our goal is to get ahead of the disease, and this project brings us one step closer to a future where breast cancer can be stopped before it starts.”
The Oddfellows, a not-for-profit and mutual, is one of the oldest and largest friendly societies in the UK with 38,800 branch-based members. Its aim is to improve people’s lives through friendship, support and charity.
Its central office is in Manchester city centre, and its 96 branches nationwide offer its members a range of affordable and accessible events, care and welfare support and opportunities to take part in fundraising and volunteering initiatives.
To find out more about the Oddfellows and its HA Andrews Memorial Fund, visit www.oddfellows.co.uk.
Information about Prevent Breast Cancer and its research, and more information on breast cancer awareness, can be found at preventbreastcancer.org.uk, and more on the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) at www.mcrc.manchester.ac.uk.
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