From left: Dr Damir Vareslija; Prof Leonie Young; Minister Patrick O’Donovan, TD; Claire Noonan; and Seamus Browne. Image: Jason Clarke.
The PRISM programme will be led by the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre in Dublin.
A new four-year-long research programme aimed at improving the survival rates of metastatic or advanced breast cancer was announced today (24 October).
The Precision Oncology Research Initiative for Metastatic Breast Cancer (PRISM) programme, which focuses on advanced breast cancer, will be led by the Beaumont Royal College of Surgeons In Ireland (RCSI) Cancer Centre, with its scientific director Prof Leonie Young serving as programme director. The programme will be funded through a Research Ireland Strategic Partnership Award of €5m, as well as additional funding from charity Breast Cancer Ireland and pharmaceutical company Carrick Therapeutics.
The programme brings together research scientists and experts from University College Dublin, University College Cork, University of Galway, Cancer Trials Ireland, Carrick Therapeutics and Breast Cancer Ireland – which has invested €1.8m into this programme as part of their ongoing #MetastaticMatters campaign.
PRISM is the first national longitudinal multiomic study (analysing multiple types of biological data) for advanced breast cancer patients, using comprehensive genomic profiling to better understand and target the spread of breast cancer to develop new, effective treatments.
Aisling Hurley, the CEO of Breast Cancer Ireland, said that the organisation is “proud to co-fund the PRISM programme”.
She said that this study “which brings together a highly qualified team of scientists and research experts” working on Ireland’s first longitudinal study for advanced breast cancer patients would ultimately change patient outcomes “into the future”.
“We aim to bring much needed hope to metastatic patients and their families, which aligns with our overall aim of ensuring that breast cancer becomes a treatable illness for all of those impacted by this dreadful disease.”
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan, TD, who announced this funding award today, said: “I am delighted to announce this funding for PRISM, which brings together experts from the academic, pharmaceutical and charitable sectors over the next four years.
“Partnership is so often a critical factor in determining the success of research endeavours. I am confident that this breast cancer research collaboration will enhance understanding and treatment of this disease.”
Nearly 4,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year in Ireland, with one in seven women and one in 728 men developing the disease in their lifetime. A portion of those who develop breast cancer progress to metastatic disease – where the tumour evades initial treatment and reappears in vital organs in the body.
Breast cancer, if caught early, is almost always treatable. Common treatments for the cancer include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or immunotherapy. However, when the cancer spreads (metastatic cancer), it can become incurable – but patients can control it with treatment.
Last year, scientists at Dublin City University (DCU) claimed to have developed a blood test that can predict the effectiveness of breast cancer treatments. While recently, a DCU-led project found a new potential treatment for breast cancer by combining existing drugs.
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