Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R) Makes Unprecedented Research and Local Prog...( DETROIT Oct. 14 -- Susan G. Kome...),Health

DETROIT, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R) recently announced the distribution of an unprecedented $100 million in grants to American and international scientists this year alone to fast track breast cancer research. Grants were also made by local Komen Affiliates.

Two researchers from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine, Julie Boerner, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Guojun Wu, Ph.D., assistant professor, were each awarded $450,000 grants from Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

"We've revamped Komen's research program, challenging the best minds to solve the most difficult issues in breast cancer," said Hala Moddelmog, president and chief executive officer of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "These grants are geared to results -- finding cures, tailoring treatments and resolving the issues that have stymied the search for a breast cancer cure."

Of the $450,000 grant awarded to Dr. Boerner, Komen Detroit Race for the Cure(R) co-funded her grant with $300,000. Dr. Wu's $450,000 grant was co-funded with $90,000 by the Komen Greater Lansing Affiliate. Drs. Boerner's and Wu's grants were among 26 Career Catalyst Grants made by Komen to fill a critical gap in support and stimulate the transition from training to independence among promising cancer investigators.

Dr. Boerner's grant, titled "Transphosphorylation of the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) by Met and other receptor tyrosine kinases in breast cancer," involves studying the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer. The majority of breast cancer deaths arise from the cancer spreading from the breast to lymph nodes and distant sites such as the lung and bone. Once the cancer spreads beyond the breast, the relative five-year survival rate drops from 98 to 26 percent. These statistics tell physicians and scientists that improvements need to be made in the treatment of patients with advan
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