Foundation grant boosts breast cancer research

A $300,000 grant from the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation (JDRF) will rapidly move forward a breast cancer research project at the University of Adelaide.

The funding will go to Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories Director Professor Wayne Tilley's team for his project A less toxic, promising new treatment strategy to defeat the most common form of breast cancer.

"In 2021, our pre-clinical research established androgen receptor (AR) is a tumour suppressor in both normal breast tissue and estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer," said Professor Tilley.

"Our latest findings which were deemed the strongest contender in decades in the fight against breast cancer, shows for the first time that a non-estrogen receptor targeted hormonal treatment approach has clinical efficacy in ER+ breast cancer.

"A previous high impact paper (Nature 2015) involving our research team in collaboration with researchers at the Cambridge Institute in the UK resulted in two clinical trials of progestogens in early breast cancer that will complete this year.

"With this generous funding, we will be able to assess the effectiveness of AR activation compared to standard care of ER target therapy in disease and prevention."

Professor Tilley said the project aims to change the way ER+ breast cancer is treated to provide better, less toxic and potentially curative treatment options, as well as preventative measures, for women at high risk of developing breast cancer.

"Current standard of care endocrine therapies such as the drug tamoxifen, are not curative and can have debilitating side effects, limiting their use for breast cancer prevention in women who are at high risk of developing this disease," he said.

"Current ER+ target drugs also do not reduce the risk of developing deadly estrogen-driven metastases, necessitating a new approach that is safe and inhibits the growth and spread of ER+ cancers.

"Our approach uses an innovative medical implant with an AR activator shown to be well tolerated and without the side-effects associated with current ER+ target drugs."

The James and Diana Ramsay Foundation was launched in 2009 by Diana Ramsay AO, ensuring the generosity of the Foundation would impact and benefit many generations to come.

To date, the Foundation has supported more than 80 organisations to deliver projects in South Australia across its focus areas of arts, health and youth.

"We are proud to support this groundbreaking clinical study, which introduces a promising new treatment strategy for one of the most common forms of the disease," said Foundation Executive Director Kerry de Lorme.

"This innovative approach offers a potentially less toxic alternative to existing therapies and represents the first new endocrine approach in breast cancer treatment in decades.

"Backed by a research team with a strong track record in preclinical and translational research, this project aligns with the commitment of the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation to funding innovative and impactful studies and we are excited about the potential this new treatment may offer patients."

Media Contacts:

Rhiannon Koch,Media Officer, The University of Adelaide. Phone:+61 (8)8313 4075. Mobile:+61 (0)481 619 997. Email:[email protected]