Seat at the Table
On July 17th as part of my role as a Consumer Representative I met with Professor Greg Monteith and Assoc Professor Sarah Roberts-Thompson and their PHD students (Department of Pharmacy at University of Queensland.) To provide the team with a patient perspective. So I told my story which was well received; and answered questions pertaining to my excperience.
The team, which includes colleagues from Johns Hopkins University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the USA, found that the presence of a protein that moves calcium into a specific area of the cell was higher in many breast cancers.
They found that these transporters can be altered in some cancer types.
It is hoped that these results and current work will help to exploit these changes and target breast cancer more effectively.
Associate Professor Roberts-Thomson said.
“We recognised very early on that this protein was a new kind of calcium transporter and it had particular significance in breast cancer, this was even before it was properly identified,” Work then began to define how it could contribute to cancer pathways. The pathway by which this calcium pump contributes to breast cancer is unique, complex and unexpected, and may shed light on other important processes in cells.”
The team has also identified other calcium transporters that may be important in breast cancer.
“We are focusing on those breast cancer types that have the poorest prognosis,” Professor Monteith said. Patients with these cancers have the greatest need for new therapies.”
This work is very interesting and moreinformation can be found of Professor Monteiths website
www. uq.edu/pharmacy/greg-monteith.
I was areally excited to hear about the research as I always am inspired by the progress in this area. I hold strongly to the hope that one day in the not too distant future breast cancer will be gone. During the course of the discussion I was paticularly impressed to hear that there is a Lab in the US woking on a drugh to eliminate the hormone therapy side effect of "Hot Flushes". Remembering my personal experience of this among otheres I was impressed.
Finally I have to say that the work I am able to do for BCNA is a privledge. Each time of I speak or meet with treating professionals I am contributing to my knowledge and at the same time putting a focus on the person not the disease.
