Breast Cancer Society of Canada awards $ 250,000 for precision cancer research at Dalhousie University

SARNIA, Ontario, June 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The Breast Cancer Society of Canada (BCSC) today announced $ 250,000 in funding from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Dalhousie University School of Medicine, for a research project led by Dr. Paola Marignani. The project aims to identify unique markers associated with the recurrence of HER2 + breast cancer at the unicellular level.

About one-third of all breast cancers are classified as HER2-positive because of the high protein levels on the HER2 cell surface. HER2-targeted drugs have been successful, but this type of cancer returns with a high frequency once treatment is completed. The overall goal of the research project is to identify new biomarkers that distinguish the potential for recurrence of HER2 + breast cancer.

The project is led by Dra. Paola Marignani, Professor at Dalhousie University in the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, the Ontario Cancer Institute, and the Harvard Medical School in the Signal Transduction Division. More recently, Dr. Marignani completed MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Health Care Executive Program.

The project of Dr. Marignani will be carried out over the next three years with the aim of gaining knowledge to develop more precise and targeted therapies through precision medicine that prevent recurrence. Precision medicine focuses on matching the most effective drug with the right patient based on the patient’s cancer molecular profile, taking into account the heterogeneity of an individual’s cancer.

Driven by its vision to end breast cancer, BCSC is committed to funding research projects that will have a direct impact on Canadian patients. In February 2021, the World Health Organization declared breast cancer the most common cancer in the world, with approximately 28,000 Canadians diagnosed each year. Breast cancer research projects that have been selected for funding will aim to advance screening, screening, precision oncology and patient-reported outcomes, improving care for Canadians with breast cancer. mama.

Kimberly Carson, CEO of the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, said: “Dr. Marignani’s research will directly affect the lives of breast cancer patients by developing tailor-made treatment plans. “Research funded by the BCSC focuses on precision medicine by making breast cancer treatment highly personalized with better targeted treatment, we can affect change for breast cancer patients.”

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada is grateful to its generous donors who have made this funding possible with their contributions. For more information on the call for proposals for the Breast Cancer Research Fellowship and the precision oncology projects being funded, visit bcsc.ca/updates.

ABOUT THE CANADIAN BREAST CANCER SOCIETY (BCSC) The Canadian Breast Cancer Society (BCSC) is a nationally registered, non-profit charity dedicated to saving lives through breast cancer research. The BCSC raises money to fund patient-centered research for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of breast cancer. For more information, visit bcsc.ca.

MEDIA CONTACT: Logan KazimerHarmony Marketing lkazimer@harmonymarketing.ca

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