Breast cancer: EU funding for new tools and solutions
Cancer is an important priority of the next phase of the EU’s research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, which will run from 2021-2027 with a proposed budget of EUR 100 billion. For the first time, the programme is establishing ‘Missions’ which will: “Boost the impact of EU-funded research and innovation by mobilising investment and EU-wide efforts around measurable and time-bound goals around issues that affect citizens’ daily lives.” Research on cancer will be spearheaded by one of the five Missions.
Improvement but still a way to go
The breast cancer mortality rate has dropped by nearly 12 % across the EU over the past decade, the study notes, with 13.36 women per 100 000 expected to succumb to the disease in 2019, down from 16.44 women per 100 000 in the 2005-2009 period. Researchers found that six of the biggest countries in the bloc now have averages hovering from 13-14 deaths per 100 000 women. Importantly, the overall prognosis for European breast cancer patients has improved markedly, but there is still much work to be done. This is reflected in the broad range of research being funded by the EU, from large-scale, international projects to individual fellowships. Taking research results out of the lab and turning them into tools for use by health care systems is the focus of EU support to innovative bioscience and diagnostic companies through the EU’s dedicated SME Instrument. Improved population-based screening to boost early detection and diagnosis, and new methods for the management of treatment are all playing a key role in reducing the number of deaths across Europe now. The EU’s support to projects, such as those featured in the Results Pack, is bringing next generation solutions to drive down the numbers of women losing their lives to this disease.
EU support saving lives
The EU-funded projects showcased in this CORDIS Results Pack show the diversity of research receiving EU support. Large consortia working closely to access cross-border data to gain real insight into the disease, scientists working independently, supported by a fellowship to pursue their research goals, SMEs funded to turn prototypes into tools: the European Union is exploring all avenues to save lives. By understanding the molecular characteristics of stem cells, the BRECASTEM project hopes to advance new treatments and more targeted therapies. EpiPredict has mapped systems behaviour of breast cancer cells after hormone treatment. Findings show how tumours change their ‘appearance’ to evade cancer treatments using epigenetic mechanisms. Meanwhile, the INTHER project developed an innovative device to deliver minimally invasive immunostimulating Interstitial Laser Thermotherapy (imILT). The therapy works by attacking the tumour directly and stimulating the patient’s own immune system to attack other (same-type cancer) tumours. Traditionally, breast cancer treatment decisions made by physicians rely on clinical pathology such as the tumour’s hormone receptor status, age, tumour size, grade and lymph node involvement. However, this approach doesn’t determine the risk of cancer recurrence with patients being over- or under-treated. The MammaPrint project, following on from two previous FP6 and FP7 projects, set out to analyse the entire genome of patients and further validate a molecular signature that could be associated with cancer recurrence. The MATADOR project is dedicated to developing a new cell-based test for drug screening capable of identifying the compounds that best interfere with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. But cell-based screening won’t save some from undergoing operations. Finally, ONCOscanner is an innovative solution that enables intra-operative recognition of collected tissues during surgical removal of cancerous breast tissue. By doing so, the scanner can detect breast cancer tissue during operation, leading to an improved rate of retention of healthy tissue and local treatment outcome.
