Komen Tissue Bank Samples Used in Research. Sound Medicine reports on the important role the Komen Tissue Bank and healthy breast tissue samples play in breast cancer research. The article highlights how the normal tissue is collected and some of the research questions being answered using normal breast tissue by researchers from around the world – such as the role of obesity, insulin regulation, and reproductive changes related to breast cancer risk

New Findings in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer. Science Daily reports that a Komen-funded researcher, Dr. Gary L. Johnson, and his team at UNC have found a new way by which HER2-positive tumors avoid or resist treatment. The discovery, published in the journal CELL Reports, provides evidence to support the potential development of a combination therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer.

Workshop sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the US Food and Drug Administration. Addresses past lessons learned and ongoing challenges faced in biomarker development and drug and biomarker codevelopment. An article published in the Journal of the NCI resulted from this workshop entitled “A Perspective on Challenges and Issues in Biomarker Development and Drug and Biomarker Codevelopment”. You can read the complete article here. 

More Affordable Genetic Testing Options. An article in The New York Times discusses a new genetic test for breast cancer that is more affordable than those currently available. Testing for BRCA gene mutations has generally been limited by medical guidelines to women who already have cancer or those with a family history of breast or ovarian cancers. Color Genomics, which is being advised by Komen Scholar Dr. Mary-Claire King, is just one company working to develop a more affordable test, with plans to charge just $249 for an analysis of BRCA1, BRCA2 and several other cancer-risk genes, making genetic testing more readily accessible to all women.

The Two Sister Study. Read about a Komen-funded study, which examined genes from sets of sisters to determine how genetics and the environment affects the risk for breast cancer in younger women.

Hope Wellness Center is a program of the Association of Cancer Patient Educators

A non profit 501(c)3 corporation

The Hope Wellness Center website, including all of its links to external resources, is designed to provide general information only. The information expressed on this website should not be construed as medical advice. Its purpose is to educate patients about cancer, with the intention of assisting patients and their loved ones in making informed decisions together with their physician.