Dr Damir Vaeslija awarded Biomedical Stimulus Grant 2018
Irish Cancer Society Stimulus Award
The Irish Cancer Society is committed to putting patients, families, survivors, supporters and the public at the very heart of what we do. In keeping with this commitment, we are working to embed Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in all of our research processes. The Stimulus Award applications were reviewed by an International Scientific Review Panel in the first instance. Shortlisted applicants were subsequently reviewed by an external Patient Panel. The Patient Panel had the final decision in selecting the successful recipients for the Biomedical Science Stimulus Award and the Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award.
Biomedical Science Stimulus Award 2018 Announcement
The Irish Cancer Society is proud to announce that it has recently granted the Biomedical Science Stimulus Award funding to Dr Damir Vareslija, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, for research into invasive lobular breast cancer.
Damir explains that lobular breast cancer develops when “cancer cells start in the glands where milk is produced. Despite lobular breast cancer representing 15% of all breast cancers, the number of diagnosed women is rising and it still ranks as the 6th most common cancer in women worldwide.”
“Lobular breast cancer is an understudied breast cancer that, despite favourable clinical biomarkers, resists standard care therapies.”
“Lobular breast cancers behave different, respond different to the current drugs and so it is vital that we understand why these cancers don’t respond, and develop new treatments to ensure patients are being given the greatest chance of survival.”
“There is an unmet need to identify new treatment options and combination treatments that work for patients with lobular breast cancers. Lobular breast cancers are treated similar to other types of breast cancer and more research needs to go into new treatment options that will target the genetic makeup of lobular breast cancer”
“The Stimulus Award will allow me to build on this research and enable me to apply for bigger grants in the future to specifically research aggressive lobular breast cancer.”
With research experience in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, we are excited to find out what Damir’s research findings will be over the next year.
