Six UNC scientists earn breast cancer research funding

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation awarded North Carolina researchers $2.965 million in research grants last week with $2.5 million going to six scientists at UNC. 

These grants are part of a larger $32.7 million research grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The money was distributed across 23 states and seven countries, with the goal of decreasing the number of breast cancer deaths in America by 50 percent in the next 10 years. 

Cameron Cox, spokesperson for the N.C. affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, said the goal is attainable.

“They’ve put a lot of research into what needs to happen to be able to decrease the death by 50 percent,” she said.

The research investigates treatment options for aggressive types of breast cancer, health equity concerns between racial groups and new technologies to improve disease detection. 

Dr. Lisa A. Carey, one of the grant recipients from UNC, said she also believes in the goal.

“Komen has been incredibly successful at bringing in resources and having a very robust way of deciding where to allocate their resources," she said. "I think that they’re terrifically well positioned to do this." 

A study from the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry released in December 2015 said female breast cancer was the most common type of cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in the state from 2008 to 2012. 

For 2016, the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics predicts that 10,052 females in the state will develop breast cancer and 1,416 of those women will die from the disease. 

“It's hard to change mortality in a short time frame but there’s no point in setting puny goals,” Carey said. 

She said the Komen foundation doesn’t operate in a vacuum and their funding can be helped by additional support from organizations like the National Cancer Institute and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

This type of funding also provides necessary financial backing for researchers early in their careers, Judy Salerno, Komen Foundation President and CEO, said in a press release.  

“These awards give promising young researchers an opportunity to establish their careers, and help ensure breakthrough breast cancer research continues for years to come,” she said.

Carey said she is proud of the Carolina researchers who received funding from the foundation — many of whom are at the beginning of their careers. 

“They’re investing in some really great rising talent,” she said.

In addition to the grants awarded this past week, North Carolina currently has 28 ongoing research grants awarded from previous years. In total, the $3 million donation brings Komen’s research investment in North Carolina up to $40,406,515 since 1982. 

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