Purdue establishes breast cancer research group

Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., has created a collaborative research group to increase knowledge to help prevent breast cancer, develop better early detection techniques and improve treatment methods.

The Purdue Cancer Center brought together 10 cancer researchers from the fields of biological science, medicinal chemistry, basic medical sciences and biomedical engineering to establish the group, said Timothy Ratliff, director of the Purdue Cancer Center.

"We need to approach this problem from multiple angles and incorporate different scientific fields if we are to be successful in eliminating this devastating form of cancer," he said. "Breast cancer is expected to be the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women this year, and we must work together to develop life-saving advances."

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), 182,460 new cases in women and 1,990 new cases in men are expected this year, and 40,480 deaths from the disease are expected.

"We wanted to create this direct line of communication and collaboration," said Sophie Lelièvre, working group leader. “By tapping into all of the members' strengths, we hope to develop new, more efficient and effective approaches to treatment and detection of breast cancer."

The breast cancer research group plans to expand to include more members and is open to interested researchers, Lelièvre said.

The Purdue Cancer Center is one of just seven NCI-designated basic research facilities in the United States. The center attempts to help cancer patients by identifying new molecular targets and designing future agents and drugs for detecting and treating cancer.

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