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From Research to Results
Our ProgressOur Impact
We invest in research that's changing how we think about cancer. That means more answers, faster breakthroughs and treatment personalized for every patient. With three quarters of a billion dollars raised to date, that's progress.
We Fund the Best Researchers in the World
At BCRF, we fund the game changers. Today, we support nearly 275 women and men through our grants to make a real difference and accelerate progress. Get to know them and learn about their projects.
Explore 25 years of breakthroughs
Since 1993, BCRF-supported scientists have been involved in every major advance in breast cancer research. Their discoveries have changed the trajectory of this disease forever."
Our Areas of Focus
Breast cancer is a complex disease with no simple solution, which is why our researchers are tackling it from every angle. Learn about our areas of focus and why each is critical to knowing how to fight cancer from the start, slow its progress and one day stop it from occurring altogether.
Heredity & Ethnicity
Most people who develop breast cancer have no family history of the disease, but we know that’s not always the case. A person’s family history, inheritance, race and ethnicity are all important risk factors that have long been part of our research agenda. Our scientists have been behind major breakthroughs in this area, including the role BRCA1 and BRCA2 play in breast cancer and the genetic link to more aggressive breast cancers in women of African descent.
Whether understanding the mutated genes passed down from one generation to the next or developing low-cost genetic testing for diverse populations of women around the world, the more progress our researchers make, the better doctors are able to predict who is at risk and what can be done to prevent cancer’s onset.
Dr. Ambrosone is a Distinguished Professor of Oncology, Chair of the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, and Senior Vice President for Population Sciences at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also co-leader of the CCSG Population Sciences...
Claire C.Conley, PhD is Assistant Professor of Oncology at Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center. Dr. Conley obtained her doctorate in clinical health psychology from the Ohio State University in 2018 and completed her clinical internship at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA...
Fergus Couch is Professor and Chair of the Division of Experimental Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, with joint appointments in the Departments of Health Sciences Research and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Couch works on the genetics of...
Susan M. Domchek, MD is the Basser Professor in Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. She serves as Executive Director of the Basser Center for BRCA at the Abramson Cancer Center and Director of the Mariann and Robert MacDonald...
Charis Eng, MD, PhD is the founding Chair of the Genomic Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, founding Director of the institute’s clinical component, the Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare, and Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Genetics...
Lifestyle & Prevention
A world free of breast cancer includes preventing the disease from occurring in the first place. While some factors are out of our control, like age or gender, we have uncovered a number of ways people may be able to reduce their risk.
Our researchers have demonstrated that maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active and avoiding stress can profoundly influence prognosis and incidence. These important advances are helping to empower women and men to take command of their lives and minimize their chances of developing the disease.
Dr. Ambrosone is a Distinguished Professor of Oncology, Chair of the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, and Senior Vice President for Population Sciences at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also co-leader of the CCSG Population Sciences...
Wendie A. Berg, MD, PhD, FACR, is Professor of Radiology at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and is well known for her role as Study Chair and PI of ACRIN 6666, Screening Breast Ultrasound and MRI in High-Risk Women. Dr...
Ira J. Bleiweiss, MD is a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. He is director of the Breast Pathology Subspecialty Service at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr....
Dr. Lewis A. Chodosh is a physician-scientist who received a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, and MD from Harvard Medical School, and a PhD. in Biochemistry from M.I.T. in the laboratory of Dr. Phillip Sharp. He performed his...
Dr. Colditz is an epidemiologist and public health expert with a longstanding interest in the causes and prevention of chronic disease, particularly among women. With a commitment to identifying strategies for prevention of breast cancer, Dr. Colditz studies benign...
Metastasis
If detected early, breast cancer can be controlled. It’s when the disease spreads, or metastasizes, that it often turns lethal. Metastatic cancer cells can lie dormant for years, even decades, only to “wake up” and find their way into different parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, brain or bones. For those patients whose cancer metastasizes, there has been little hope for long-term survival. There’s nothing more important than stopping cancer in its tracks. We have committed $31 million to tackling metastasis through a multi-year, multi-institutional international collaboration. The first of its kind, the Evelyn H. Lauder Founder’s Fund will enable researchers to understand why some breast cancers spread faster than others and why some respond to certain therapies while other don’t. At the program’s center are major studies of the molecules that go awry in cancer cells to help...
Dr. Aaronson’s research is focused on discovery and functions of cancer genes. At the NCI as Chief, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, he identified the first normal function of a cancer gene as that of a growth factor, PDGF, and cloned erbB2 (also...
Daniel Abravanel, MD, PhD is currently a fellow in medical oncology at Dana‐Farber Cancer Institute. He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and received an MD/PhD through the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He...
David Agus is professor of medicine and engineering at the University of Southern California, where he is the founding CEO of USC’s Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine. Dr. Agus leads a multidisciplinary team of researchers dedicated to the...
Fabrice André MD, PhD, is an oncologist based at Gustave Roussy Cancer Cancer, Villejuif, France. He is Professor of Medicine at University Paris Saclay. His BCRF research focuses on the characterisation of molecular alterations in metastatic breast cancers. He is...
Michael Andreeff received his MD and PhD from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and additional training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He has been a pioneer in flow cytometry since 1971, when he established the first flow cytometry laboratory at the...
Survivorship
There are more breast cancer survivors today than ever before. We know the last round of treatment, however, doesn’t mark the end of one’s journey with the disease. Breast cancer changes a person’s life in many ways.
Women and men can face a multitude of physical, mental and emotional challenges, ranging from pain and fatigue to cognitive and sleeping issues, making quality of life after treatment all the more important to our researchers. Today, with nearly 3.8 million survivors in the U.S. alone, not only is the definition of breast cancer changing but also what it means to manage the disease.
Dr. Tarah Ballinger received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and her MD from Indiana University. She completed her internal medicine residency at Vanderbilt University and her oncology fellowship at Indiana University before joining the faculty...
Debra Barton has been a funded investigator in oncology symptom management since 2002, having developed, implemented and completed 11 large multi-site intervention trials. She has developed phase II and III clinical trials in a variety of symptoms including fatigue,...
Julienne E. Bower, PhD is a nationally recognized expert on biobehavioral processes in breast cancer and their impact on health and well-being. She has conducted pioneering work on neuroimmune interactions in breast cancer survivors, focusing on immune...
Dr. Lewis A. Chodosh is a physician-scientist who received a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, and MD from Harvard Medical School, and a PhD. in Biochemistry from M.I.T. in the laboratory of Dr. Phillip Sharp. He performed his...
Steven Cole is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the UCLA School of Medicine. His research maps the molecular pathways by which social and environmental factors influence the activity of human, viral, and tumor genomes. He pioneered...
Treatment
Every cancer is as unique as each patient. Thanks to research, we now know that no two cancers are the same and have evolved from a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment to tailored therapies and more effective drugs. With more personalized treatment comes improved outcomes.
Our researchers know that a treatment’s benefits, as well as its risks, differ for each person. The type of breast cancer, the stage of the disease and the characteristics of the tumor, along with one’s lifestyle and medical history, are all taken into consideration. Our aim? To find the least invasive, most effective option that will minimize adverse effects while maximizing success for each patient. We like to call this “outsmarting cancer.”
Dr. Aaronson’s research is focused on discovery and functions of cancer genes. At the NCI as Chief, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, he identified the first normal function of a cancer gene as that of a growth factor, PDGF, and cloned erbB2 (also...
Daniel Abravanel, MD, PhD is currently a fellow in medical oncology at Dana‐Farber Cancer Institute. He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and received an MD/PhD through the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He...
Kathy S. Albain is Professor of Medicine (tenured) at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and is a Dean’s Senior Scholar. As a member of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, she devotes her clinical practice to patients with breast and lung cancer at...
Fabrice André MD, PhD, is an oncologist based at Gustave Roussy Cancer Cancer, Villejuif, France. He is Professor of Medicine at University Paris Saclay. His BCRF research focuses on the characterisation of molecular alterations in metastatic breast cancers. He is...
Michael Andreeff received his MD and PhD from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and additional training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He has been a pioneer in flow cytometry since 1971, when he established the first flow cytometry laboratory at the...
Tumor Biology
Understanding the basic biology of breast cancer is allowing us to get to the very core of the disease. Every aspect, from a cancer cell’s genes to the tumor’s environment, is under investigation. Our researchers are exploring the molecules that make up a cancer cell, how and why it transitions from normal to abnormal and why tumors react differently to different treatments. Their efforts are giving us the knowledge to achieve both prevention and a cure.
Dr. Aaronson’s research is focused on discovery and functions of cancer genes. At the NCI as Chief, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, he identified the first normal function of a cancer gene as that of a growth factor, PDGF, and cloned erbB2 (also...
David Agus is professor of medicine and engineering at the University of Southern California, where he is the founding CEO of USC’s Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine. Dr. Agus leads a multidisciplinary team of researchers dedicated to the...
Kathy S. Albain is Professor of Medicine (tenured) at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and is a Dean’s Senior Scholar. As a member of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, she devotes her clinical practice to patients with breast and lung cancer at...
Dr. Ambrosone is a Distinguished Professor of Oncology, Chair of the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, and Senior Vice President for Population Sciences at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also co-leader of the CCSG Population Sciences...
Dr. Karen Anderson is a translational researcher at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, with a joint appointment as a breast cancer medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic Arizona. Her research focuses on how the immune system can be harnessed to detect and...
We've Been Saving Lives for Over 20 Years
Our research has impacted millions of women and men worldwide. With your help, we have raised more than half a billion dollars to accelerate advances and transform how we tackle breast cancer today. Explore some of the progress you have made possible.
