Research & medical

What is the problem and who is affected?

Almost all breast cancer deaths are the result of cancer spreading – currently there are no cures for patients with cancer that has spread beyond the breast.

What is this research hoping to achieve?

The new BCFNZ Ferrier Breast Cancer Research Programme want to stop the spread of cancer and make terminal diagnoses a thing of the past.

“Our vision is zero deaths from breast cancer. That can’t happen without significant investment in game-changing areas, and right now vaccines are top of the list,” said Evangelia Henderson, chief executive at BCFNZ. “We’re so grateful to all our supporters who helped make this programme possible, and who will be as excited as we are about the fantastic work at Ferrier.”

The vaccine will work differently to regular vaccines given to healthy people to prevent disease developing. While not preventable (the complexity of breast cancer means that this is not realistic), the therapeutic vaccine will focus on the patient’s own immune system, prompting it to find and destroy the cancer.