MGQ announces H2020 funding for breast cancer research
The European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science has highlighted the importance of Horizon 2020 in helping to tackle breast cancer.
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said the EU’s research and innovation framework would build upon the progress made under FP7, when over €1bn was dedicated to cancer research. The news comes as the World Health Organization’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to an end later this week.
The European Commissioner said: “Hundreds of thousands of women can benefit from translating research breakthroughs to life-saving treatments for breast cancer. Cancer research has been a priority for EU research funding. Some €1.4bn was devoted to translational cancer research from 2007 to 2013. We will continue that focus under Horizon 2020, speeding up the transfer of basic knowledge to early diagnosis, preventive and therapeutic approaches.”
Breast cancer remains the second most common cancer in the world, and kills more women than any other cancer type. In the EU, a record 364,449 women found they had developed the disease in 2012. The EU invested €160m in breast cancer research from 2007 to 2013, support that will continue through Horizon 2020.
The EU has funded the TRANSBIG project that has helped strengthen relationships between researchers, addressing fragmentation in breast cancer research. The investigation has aimed to better link laboratory work and treatment through translational research. The results of the trial, known as MINDACT, will be available in 2015. The trial is investigating whether genomic analysis can help physicians make better decisions on whether a patient can avoid chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery.
MINDACT has enrolled more than 6,600 women in nine countries for the research, managed by the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer, and developed in collaboration with the Breast International Group, co-ordinator of TRANSBIG.
