DALLAS, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation today announced the awarding of grants to five critical projects that impact the breast health needs of medically underserved population groups around the world. The Komen Foundation's funding of these additional project grants -- announced on the heels of having awarded its largest annual research investment to date at $45.1 million -- denotes an unwavering commitment to funding projects that tackle the complex issues related to breast cancer, particularly disparities in cancer diagnoses and care.
The additional funding, totaling more than $3 million, also amplifies the Komen Foundation's collaboration with other organizations including the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to eradicate breast cancer as a life- threatening disease for all.
"Now, unlike any other time, we must critically evaluate how we fund breast cancer research and projects if we are to eradicate this disease," said Nancy G. Brinker, founder of the Komen Foundation. "For nearly 25 years, the Komen Foundation has mastered scientific and community research funding, putting dollars into ideas that no one else has funded, yielding discoveries that have significantly changed how we detect, diagnose, treat and manage this disease. And, while we have made great progress, a desperate situation continues to exist in our world ... millions of people have no access to those discoveries. So, we are challenging ourselves and others to put the full weight of our resources behind efforts to attack the disparities problem in new ways."
The Komen Foundation is known worldwide as a catalyst for change, investing in cutting-edge research that might not be funded elsewhere, and remains the world's largest private source of funding for breast cancer research and community outreach programs. There is hardly an advance in the science of breast cancer that has not been touched at some point by a Komen Foundation grant. Since its inception in 1982, the Komen Foundation has awarded more than 1,000 breast cancer research grants totaling approximately $180 million.
Projects awarded funding cover policy research and global breast cancer modeling systems research. Specific programs are:
* Improving Breast Cancer Control Programs in Developing Countries by Choosing Cost-Effective Interventions -- By the World Health Organization/Erasmus University Rotterdam -- Komen Foundation funding: $829,650 over five years -- This project will assist nine developing countries in designing or further improving their breast cancer control programs to make them more effective in improving quality of life and averting deaths. * Analyzing Disparities in Breast Cancer Control in the United States and Ghana -- By Erasmus University Rotterdam -- Komen Foundation funding: $433,783 over three years -- This study aims to assess the current status and impact of breast cancer control in the United States, with special reference to minority populations. The study will build upon an existing model to estimate health effects of breast cancer interventions and will include subgroup analysis to account for disparities. The model will be tested in Ghana to verify its usefulness. * Serum Protein Profiles among African American and White Women at Elevated Risk for Breast Cancer -- By Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Meharry Medical College, and International Epidemiology Institute -- Komen Foundation funding: $500,000 over two years -- This project leverages the existing study population participating in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS) to evaluate whether there are differences in serum proteomic profiles that differentiate women at low and high risk for the development of breast cancer. Identifying differences will provide a first step toward the development of a blood test that characterizes a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. * Racial Differences in Environmental and Genetic Determinants of Obesity -- By Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Meharry Medical College, and International Epidemiology Institute -- Komen Foundation funding: $1,005,000 over two years -- This project also leverages the existing SCCS population to test for differences in genetic and behavioral determinants of adult weight change and body size between African American and Caucasian women, and the correlation to the disproportionate incidence of breast cancer mortality for African American women. Synergy between this project and the project above will create even more robust information about breast cancer disparities. * Benchmarking State Policies for Cancer Pain and Palliative Care -- By Pain and Policy Studies Group, University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Komen Foundation funding: $296,076 over three years -- Co-funded by the American Cancer Society and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, this program annually evaluates and communicates the status of state legislative, regulatory, and other governmental policies that affect cancer pain management, palliative care, and end-of-life care. This evaluation includes efforts to improve the policy and regulatory environment for reducing cancer-related morbidity, including pain in patients with breast cancer.
"The supplemental projects funded by Komen were carefully chosen because of their ability to make a significant impact in the area of disparities from a better understanding of why certain groups have a higher incidence rate of breast cancer to insight into why other groups struggle to obtain access to quality palliative and end-of-life care," said Wendy Mason, CHES, director of special projects for the Komen Foundation. "It's not enough to talk about disparities. At the Komen Foundation, we believe we must act -- significantly -- if we are to make any headway in one of the biggest issues in the fight against breast cancer."
The Komen Foundation is a recognized leader in funding breast health initiatives for minorities and other targeted population groups, with an emphasis on funding programs identified through community needs assessments conducted by its nationwide network of more than 100 Affiliates. Additionally, the Komen Foundation's Award and Research Grant Program has funded millions of dollars for research initiatives and scientific studies focusing on the specific breast cancer issues facing ethnic and racial minority populations.
About the Komen Foundation
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 volunteers working through local Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure(R) to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. A global leader in the fight against breast cancer, the Foundation fulfills its mission through support of innovative breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Through fiscal year 2005, the Komen Foundation, together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, has invested $630 million in breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs.
For questions about breast health or breast cancer, visit the Komen Foundation's Web site at http://www.komen.org or call the Komen Foundation's National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at 1.800 I'M AWARE(R) (1.800.462.9273).
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer FoundationCONTACT: Emily Callahan, +1-972-855-1607, or ecallahan@komen.org , or JeanMaza, +1-972-701-2015, or jmaza@komen.org , both of Susan G. Komen BreastCancer Foundation
Web site: http://www.komen.org/
