Funded Research Projects
Breast Cancer Cure has invested more than $12 million into life-saving breast cancer research in New Zealand over the past 29 years, with a clear goal of ensuring all New Zealanders not only survive breast cancer, but thrive beyond it. By funding transformative projects and fellowships that focus on more precise prevention, earlier detection, improved diagnosis and more effective treatments using advanced technologies, we are working to improve outcomes, address inequities, and support a better quality of life for everyone affected.
Proudly funding breast cancer research at leading New Zealand institutes
Can Functional MRI of the Brain help us understand Brain Fog in Women with Breast Cancer?
Up to 70% of women with breast cancer experience cognitive difficulties, but scientists still don't fully understand why this happens. Without a clear understanding of the underlying cause, it is d...
Exploring Better Breast Imaging for Women in Aotearoa New Zealand
Mammograms save lives by finding breast cancer early. But they do not work equally well for everyone.For women with very dense breast tissue, cancer can be harder to see on a standard mammogram. Th...
From Evidence to Action: Expanding the ‘Not a One-Size-Fits-All’ Breast Cancer Screening Model for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Breast cancer screening in Aotearoa New Zealand does not benefit all women equally. Many cancers are still found outside the national screening programme, and Māori and Pacific women can face delay...
Using Deep Learning And Digital Pathology To Intrinsically Subtype Breast Cancer
Traditional pathology uses microscopes to examine tissue slides, but this method can be slow and inconsistent, and not all patients can afford advanced molecular testing.
“Shielding” Macrophages: Uncovering Immune-Mediated Chemoresistance in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the hardest types to treat and affects Māori and Pacific women more than others. Many patients with TNBC don’t fully respond to chemotherapy, and doct...
Next-Generation Homocamptothecin Payloads for Antibody-Drug Conjugates
Some powerful cancer medicines called ADCs (antibody–drug conjugates) work really well, but one important type of ingredient they could use - homocamptothecins - is barely used because they’re very...
Breast Cancer Fellowship
Hei Āhuru Mōwai Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa, Breast Cancer Cure (BCC) and Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand (BCFNZ) have partnered to launch the Breast Cancer Fellowship with Dr. Maxine Ron...
Developing a Novel Dual-functional Antibody-drug Conjugates against Growth Hormone and Prolactin for Breast Cancer Treatment
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, but it’s hard to treat because it’s complicated and can resist treatments. Two hormones-growth hormone (GH) and prolactin-can make cancer...
Investigating Genetic Drivers of Breast Cancer Risk and Response to Therapies
Inherited genetic factors play a role in the risk of many types of cancer, including breast cancer. Researchers have discovered a particular genetic variant associated with an increased risk of br...
Not a One-Size-Fits-All Service
Each day, about 9 to 10 women in New Zealand are diagnosed with breast cancer, with Māori and Pacific women facing the toughest battles. We want to understand why there are different outcomes for w...
BARD1: a new prognostic marker for triple negative breast cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer that makes up about 20% of all cases. It often spreads quickly, especially to the brain, which can seriously lower a patient’s qualit...
Leveraging AI to Explore Breast Density and its Implications on Māori and Pacific Women's Health in Aotearoa New Zealand
Breast cancer is a serious health issue in New Zealand, and it often isn’t found until it’s too late, especially for Māori and Pacific women. Current screenings sometimes miss cancers because of br...
A novel type of cancer biomarker: detection of the inactive amyloid protein state of p16
A new type of anti-cancer drug called CDK-inhibitors has become available and is funded in New Zealand for certain breast cancer patients. These drugs are powerful, but only one-third of patients a...
One piece at a time: Patient-derived explants for precision medicine in Aotearoa NZ
Dr. Emma Nolan is working on a project to create a better model for breast cancer research in New Zealand. She is using tissue samples from women with breast cancer to make patient-derived explants...
Computational pathology (CPATH)/Computer Assisted Diagnosis research in breast cancer.
Diagnosing breast cancer accurately and fairly is a challenge, and using a microscope alone doesn’t always catch unique patterns in cancer cells that could help with treatment.
Targeting the Trop-2 glycoprotein for localised prodrug activation in breast cancer
Sacituzumab Govitecan is a new drug approved to treat a type of breast cancer called triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but over half of the patients using it experience serious side effects.
Exploring a preventative treatment through an existing and accessible drug for High-Risk Individuals
Women at high risk of breast cancer need better prevention options. Current choices, like surgery, can cause issues like early menopause and fertility problems, which many women want to avoid.
Exploring a Novel Therapy to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk in High-risk Individuals
People with a high genetic risk of breast cancer often face tough choices like surgery (mastectomy) to lower their risk, which can significantly affect their quality of life, especially for young w...
Stopping Breast Cancer Evolution: Evaluation of APOBEC3 Inhibitors in Live Cells
Drug resistance complicates breast cancer treatment by enabling the cancer to spread and recur.
Extracellular Vesicles as Inter-Cellular Communicators in Fat Graft Retention
Breast reconstruction using fat grafting is common but challenging because up to 70% of the fat injected into the chest wall can be lost.
Validation Of Predictive Biomarkers For T-DM1 Activity In HER2+ Breast Cancer
The antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; Kadcyla) extends the survival of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. However, both acquired and intrinsic resistance limit its...
Validation Of A Liquid Biopsy To Predict Recurrence In NZ Breast Cancer Patients
Early detection of breast cancer recurrence is critical for saving lives. Researchers have identified two molecules in the blood of 250 breast cancer patients that can predict who might have a rela...
Analysis Of Full-length Transcripts For Variant Classification In Breast Cancer
Genetic screening for breast cancer in New Zealand needs better tests to accurately identify high-risk genes and manage families at risk.
Investigating Fn14 As A Driver Of Breast Cancer Metastasis
The presence of a protein called Fn14 on the surface of 75% of invasive breast cancers, has been shown to be strongly prognostic for distant metastasis, with the strongest association in HER2/neu p...
Targeting Breast Cancer Metastasis With Heparan Sulfate Mimetics
This research team combines leading expertise in synthetic and medicinal chemistry and cancer biology. They will evaluate the expression of heparanase, an enzyme that degrades the extracellular mat...
Targeting HIF-1 In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Glutaminase Inhibitors
It is now understood that Triple Negative breast cancer has many biologic nuances and a heterogeneity not previously understood. The aim of this project is to further characterise the role of HIF-1...
Preventing Breast Cancer Metastasis With Conjugate Vaccines Targeting Human HER2
The aim of this novel and ambitious project is to develop potent new vaccines with potential to prevent recurrence of HER2 positive breast cancer. This is made possible through the team’s prior exp...
Development of inhibitors of PC-PLC as anticancer therapeutics
Many patients with metastatic breast cancer do not respond to conventional chemotherapy and better strategies to treat these patients are urgently needed. An enzyme called phosphatidylcholine-speci...
Targeting growth hormone signal transduction in breast cancer
One of the most successful strategies for treating breast cancer has been the use of humanised monoclonal antibodies to target secreted growth factors or cell surface receptors whose function has b...
The potential of immunotherapy as a treatment for ER+ve breast cancer
Treatments that stimulate the immune system to attack tumours have revolutionised the treatment of some cancer types. However, these treatments have not yet been used effectively in breast cancer. ...
Targeting HP1 regulated pathways to suppress breast cell invasion
Metastasis is the primary cause of death in breast cancer patients as it refractory to current therapies. The first step in metastatic disease occurs when a cell invades surrounding tissue. However...
Using CRISPR-Cas9 to predict sensitivity to trastuzumab emtansine
Over 3000 diagnoses and 600 deaths are attributable to breast cancer in New Zealand each year. One-quarter of breast cancers is driven by increased amounts of a gene called HER2, which can be targe...
Identifying breast cancer patients with clinically relevant mutations
Identification of cancer-causing mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, has well-defined and actionable implications for disease prevention. However, routine diagnost...
Developing a molecular “fingerprint” as a non-invasive screen for breast cancer
This translational grant proposes to build on exciting BCRT-funded science that has led to the identification of two RNA markers in the blood, which together may be able to indicate whether a woman...
Synthetic lethal targeting of lobular breast cancer
The inactivation of tumour suppressor genes is the most common of all genetic events in cancer but not one that can be targeted by conventional therapy, because the tumour suppressor protein is los...
Inhibiting the human GH receptor with small molecule antagonists
Localised production of growth hormone (GH) is detectable in a variety of different human cancers, including breast cancer, and this is associated with an increased risk of metastasis and reduced s...
Targeting the immune response to improve outcomes in ER+ve breast cancer
Every year, more than 2000 New Zealand women are diagnosed with oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Most of these women are treated with therapies that target production or action of the hor...
Funding a diverse range
Breast Cancer Cure funds a diverse range of research projects aimed at advancing the prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer, including the use of antibodies as targeted therapies to control cancer cell growth, ongoing work in early detection through the identification of potential blood markers, research into immunotherapy that harnesses the body’s own immune system, and the use of patient tissue samples to create patient-derived explants that allow researchers to study breast cancer in more personalised and effective ways.
