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In the United States, A Sister's Hope Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax deductible under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code. Money raised in the United States stays in the United States.
In The Netherlands, Stichting A Sister's Hope is registered with the Chamber of Merchandise-Amsterdam as a certified non-profit organization. Money raised in The Netherlands stays in The Netherlands.
Funds raised in the United States are being used for the following research:
1. Dr. Seema Khan, Northwestern University, Chicago
AUGUST 2010Analysis of active proteins in nipple fluid and breast cells to identify women at high risk for breast cancer. REAP: Risk Estimation with Active Proteins
Our overall goal is to prevent breast cancer. To achieve this, we are working in two distinct but related areas: methods to identify women at high risk for the development of breast cancer, and new approaches to breast cancer prevention. The first area (identification of high risk women) is a necessary prerequisite for the second, since preventive measures, particularly those that involve the use of medication, will not be accepted by all women. However, if a women at particularly high risk can be accurately identified, the chances that they will accept a preventive intervention are significantly higher. Unfortunately, current methods of identifying high risk women are only a little better than a coin toss, and there is great room for improvement.
Our laboratory has focused on the evaluation of markers of breast cancer risk that are found in breast cells, or breast ductal fluid. We have decided to focus on the proteins and hormones that are present in breast cells, since the changes that predate breast cancer are most likely to be found in these cells rather than in the blood. A promising window into the breast environment is the fluid that is present in the milk ducts of every woman, regardless of whether she is nursing. This can be collected at the nipple by breast massage and gentle suction at the nipple, and is called nipple aspiration fluid (NAF). Alternatively, we can obtain samples of breast cells through a very fine needle (fine needle aspiration, FNA). The samples from both procedures are necessarily very small but modern techniques enable us to analyze hormones and proteins that are associated with breast disease in these samples.
Funding from the National Cancer Institute and from the Avon Foundation allows us to examine the hormone content of NAF and FNA samples, and these studies are ongoing. However, activated (phosphorylated) proteins are the end-result of hormonal stimulation and it would aid our understanding of the high risk breast greatly if we were also able to study the active proteins in these breast specimens. The ability to reliably identify activated vs. passive forms of proteins in very small samples such as NAF and FNA involves a new method where proteins are separated by nanofluidics, and detected using antibodies. The procedure requires very small samples, as little as 25 cells, and is capable of detecting many proteins in high through-put format, handling as many as 96 samples in a batch. This method provides a highly accurate measurement of several types of proteins in very small samples, and will provide us with entirely new information about the protein content of NAF and FNA samples from women who are already enrolled in our studies, and will therefore increase the value of these studies exponentially. The ability to relate the presence of specific active proteins to the hormones that stimulate their production will add an essential third dimension to our studies, one that has a high likelihood of leading to new concepts in breast cancer risk assessment, and new insights regarding breast cancer prevention.
Seema A. Khan MD
Professor of Surgery
Bluhm Family Professor of Cancer Research
Co-Leader Breast Cancer Program
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Northwestern University2. Dr. JoEllen Welsh, University at Albany-NY, Cancer GeNYsis Center
How vitamin D might protect normal breast cells from environmental agents that increase cancer risk. Another impact would be insight into whether vitamin D status might improve outcome in patients with breast cancer that are undergoing therapy with agents such as adriamycin or radiation.
Dr. JoEllen Welsh, University at New York-Albany
Presentation in Brugge, Belgium October 2009
Is de 60KM Walk truly necessary?
Funds raised in The Netherlands are being used for the following research:
Research Updates - July 2009
Erasmus Medical Center-Rotterdam
Primary prevention of Breast Cancer by Monitoring Gene Promoter Methylation in Nipple Aspirates
Funds raised through Stichting A Sister's Hope events for breast cancer research in Holland are delivered to Stichting Pink Ribbon and those funds are earmarked specifically and completely for breast cancer research. Pink Ribbon, a primary breast cancer resource in The Netherlands, officially awards those funds to the research teams mentioned above. We are thrilled to be supporting this promising work.
