Walk the Walk grants £400,000 to specialised teams at Breast Cancer Now’s Research Centre

The Microscopy Unit

Money raised by our wonderful supporters has helped fund vital research into breast cancer, which has continued during the pandemic, with only some short, enforced breaks.

Walk the Walk granted £400,000 to Breast Cancer Now, which helped pay for a year’s work carried out by the specialised “Cross Centre Teams” at the charity’s Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research in London.

Seven specialised teams underpin all the work happening in every area of research at the centre, which is itself closely linked to the prestigious cancer research hospital, the Royal Marsden. Because of these close ties, researchers can in effect bring their findings directly from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.

The Cross Centre teams are made up of highly skilled scientists and technicians armed with state-of-the-art equipment and a wealth of specialist knowledge and experience.  For example, the teams can advise researchers on how best to analyse complex data from large experiments, to get accurate and meaningful results. They can also perform detailed analysis of samples donated by breast cancer patients.

The teams are the “beating heart” of the Research Centre, helping to make possible the work undertaken by lead scientists, as they strive to find the key to preventing, detecting and treating breast cancer.  Walk the Walk’s funding covered the cost of laboratory materials and equipment, rather than salary costs.

Seven teams were supported by Walk the Walk through this grant:

• The Nina Barough Pathology Laboratory was established in 2001 thanks to a grant from Walk the Walk and was named after our Founder and Chief Executive Nina Barough. Over the last five years, the Pathology team has provided researchers with an average of approximately 50,000 tests per year.

• The Bioinformatics Team uses computers and statistical models to analyse and interpret data from experiments. This may mean developing or using algorithms, databases or other technology-based tools
• The Patient Derived Model Facility creates and manages complex three-dimensional models of human breast cancers.
• The Microscopy Unit The use of microscopes is fundamental to breast cancer research, allowing scientists to observe and study how cancer cells behave differently to healthy cells
• The Pathway Profiling Unit provides invaluable insight including how cancer cells can re-programme themselves and adapt to different treatments.
• The Automation, Liquid Handling, DNA Sequencing and Proteomics This team screens the effect of different drug molecules in many samples at once.
• The Flow Cytometry and Live Cell Imaging Team The technology made available through this service helps scientists across the Research Centre to gain a detailed understanding of the cells that make up a tumour.

Walk the Walk is delighted to have funded such crucial work at the cutting edge of science, leading to breakthroughs in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. All support and fundraising really makes a difference - sign up now for a Virtual challenge or make a donation at www.walkthewalk.org