Purdue works with Komen to research healthy breast tissue
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 06/18/2010
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Researchers at Purdue and across Indiana are taking up an initiative – the first of its kind – to study normal breast tissue in order to prevent breast cancer.
The Purdue University Center for Cancer Research is working closely with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center on the research of completely healthy breast cancer tissue.
Obtaining healthy tissue, along with gathering samples of cancerous tissue, is important to understanding the nature of breast cancer, according to Dr. Sophie Lelièvre, associate professor of cancer pharmacology at Purdue.
“If we want to understand the abnormal, we need to understand the normal,” Lelièvre said. “Otherwise, we don’t know what is normal.”
Rebecca Fega, a graduate student studying physical chemistry in Purdue’s College of Science, was recently featured in a national ad for the Komen Tissue Bank. Fega was photographed while helping process breast tissue samples last November at Clarian Arnett Hospital in West Lafayette. Komen conducted research through Clarian Arnett that day.
“(Komen is) the only healthy breast tissue bank in the entire world,” she said. “It’s a phenomenal organization.”
According to Fega, more breast tissue donors are always welcome, and the donation process isn’t too bad. Women come in and go through extensive background checks on health and family history. Then they come back and donate blood and about one gram of breast tissue – after receiving a local anesthetic, thankfully.
“It takes three little samples out of the breast, then they’re just bandaged up and sent home,” Fega said.
Purdue has many ties to Komen. Lelièvre, along with working for Purdue’s Center for Cancer Research, has recently been appointed as a member of the internal advisory board of the Komen Tissue Bank. Komen plans to gather as much healthy breast tissue as possible in the coming years in order to study the differences between healthy and unhealthy tissue.
Lelièvre remembers times when research focused only on unhealthy tissue. She also remembers the day that norm changed.
“There’s a meeting every year organized by the Komen affiliates in Indianapolis. It is to, basically, have researchers from all over the world come in and present their research. ... I was there the year scientists proposed (this change).
“At some point, somebody said, ‘We cannot get a good answer for this study because we don’t have normal tissue.’
“Everyone in the room said, ‘Yes, we really need this tissue that’s coming from donors who do not have breast cancer,’ and that’s how it started.” Lelièvre said. “It was really like a cry coming out of a crowd of scientists.”
Lelièvre, along with stressing the importance of normal breast tissue study, pointed out how prevention of breast cancer has been the biggest gray area for researchers so far.
“There is no prevention research for breast cancer to speak of. It just doesn’t exist,” she said. “It’s not like lung cancer, where 90 percent is related to tobacco use. We know how to prevent lung cancer – it’s to stop smoking. ... (But) we have no clue, really, what is at the heart of breast cancer development.”
Fega echoed Lelièvre, commenting on how breast cancer prevention has started to dominate researchers’ goals.
“All researchers want to understand breast cancer and why it becomes invasive versus non-invasive,” Fega said. “Having the availability to study tissue on a normal molecular level is just so important. It’s the common goal.”
Fega wasn’t exaggerating when she said “all” researchers. Lelièvre said that this Indiana network of breast cancer research is gaining international attention from researchers.
“It’s amazing to see how well the project is being received. Every country we have contacted – countries that are usually not involved – are eager to get started,” Lelièvre said.
Purdue plans to hold the first international symposium on breast cancer research in October, bringing in doctors, researchers and scientists from all over the world, including from India, Iran, France and Ghana.
Of course, the teamwork on research, while awesome at an international level, is strong on a local level as well.
Fega couldn’t agree more.
“I love how the communities have really joined forces – even despite the rivalry between Purdue and IU.”