January 17, 2013
December 5, 2012 (Portland, Oregon) – Providence Cancer Center has been awarded a $450,000 Career Catalyst Research Grant by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, bringing the total number of Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer research grants in Oregon to 11, and totaling over $3.7 million. This funding was made possible, in part, because of funds the Oregon and SW Washington Affiliate has sent to Komen Headquarters’ for research. This latest grant is Providence Cancer Center’s third research grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This latest grant to Providence will investigate combination therapies for the treatment of HER2-positive Breast Cancer. Dr. Keith Bahjat will serve as the Principal Investigator with Fellow Dr. Jessica Shugart. Komen Oregon/SW Washington CEO, Thomas Bruner, states “With ten women dying from breast cancer each week in Oregon alone, the need to find the cures for this devastating disease is more pressing than ever. We are delighted to partner with Providence in our urgent mission to save lives and end breast cancer forever.” Hormone receptor status is a main factor in planning breast cancer treatment. Dr. Ali Conlin, a breast cancer specialist with Providence and a member of Komen’s Medical Advisory Committee, notes “While the treatment of HER-2-positive breast cancer has had many exciting developments over the last year, there is still a great need for continued exploration into strategies to combine targeted agents with all the other 'tools' we have at our disposal. This is work that will help get us another step closer to the cure!” As Dr. Laurel Soot, Providence Regional Clinical Director of Breast Health, notes, “As federal funds from the National Institute of Health and other major government institutions have significantly declined, scientists at the Providence Cancer Center are facing a growing need for alternative funding sources. With this generous grant from Komen, we are able to conduct additional trials that will potentially improve the success of cancer treatment and positively impact the patient and their family.” Komen has sustained a strong commitment to supporting projects and programs that will identify and deliver cures for breast cancer. This commitment has resulted in important progress that has contributed to major advances in breast cancer over the past 30 years. This effort began with a single grant for $28,000 in 1982. With increasing investments over time, now totaling nearly $755 million, Komen is the largest non-government funder of breast cancer research.
