founder's greeting
Dear Friends,
The members of our Executive Board of Scientific Advisors and Scientific Advisory Committee review the projects that will comprise the BCRF research portfolio for each year, and convene a strategic planning session to map BCRF's future direction. Led by BCRF's incomparable Scientific Director, Dr. Larry Norton, and our expert Scientific Committee Chair, Dr. Clifford Hudis, our Advisors are entrusted with deciding how best to distribute the funds that thousands of individuals, companies, and organizations have donated.
Photo: Rob Rich.
This is not an easy challenge, nor one that our Scientific Advisors take lightly. Behind every dollar stands a person - a mother, a daughter, a friend. Every donation represents someone's desire to rid the world of breast cancer. By accepting your gift, we are pledging our commitment that the projects we fund are the ones that will help eliminate this disease. We are also affirming that preventing and curing breast cancer is possible.
Already, we are seeing results that have improved breast cancer treatment tremendously. For instance, BCRF dollars have contributed to the development of targeted therapies, such as Herceptin®, which has been successful in treating women with HER2-positive breast cancer. BCRF researchers have also substantiated that a healthy lifestyle including a low-fat diet and regular exercise can minimize the risk of recurrence of breast cancer. BCRF grants have also resulted in crucial laboratory studies. These include the discovery of new genes associated
with breast cancer, the mapping of new pathways and treatment targets, the identification of more accurate markers for risk assessment and response to therapy, and better understanding of how breast cancer initiating cells (cancer "stem cells") develop and spread.
Translating lab results to bedside practice is at the core of every project we support. The key to finding a cure to breast cancer is the ability to move these advances along at a rapid pace. Your continued support is absolutely vital to ensuring that we can continue to accelerate scientific progress, save lives, and make sure that the quality of every life saved is the best that it can be.
Have a healthy and happy summer.
Evelyn H. Lauder
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