Timeline of achievements

Opening research centres, making new discoveries, developing new treatments and a lot more besides. It’s been a busy first few years for Breakthrough as our timeline shows.

• Breakthrough Research Centre hailed “outstanding” in 5 year expert review. 
• First drug targeting hereditary breast cancer, developed following research at Breakthrough’s Research Centre, shows promising results in patient trials (see 2007).
• Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at King’s College London opens.
• We reach target of recruiting 100,000 women to the Breakthrough Generations Study (see 2004).
• We launch the world’s biggest breast cancer database.

• Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit in Edinburgh opened by HRH The Prince of Wales.
• Triple-Negative Trial launched, to improve treatments for an aggressive type of breast cancer.
• We learn how some tumours alter their genes to resist drugs.
• A potential new drug that stops cancer cells growing by blocking the target PPM1D is identified.
• Breakthrough’s Professor Mitch Dowsett finds a potentially useful method for predicting which patients may be at risk of their breast cancer returning and spreading (see 2005).

• We launch the largest ever study into the causes of male breast cancer.
• Clinical trials begin to assess PARP inhibitors’ potential to treat hereditary breast cancer (see 2009 and 2005).
• It is discovered that the Tip60 gene is linked to breast cancer development. 
• ACU.FATIGUE study to assess the potential of acupuncture to ease breast cancer-related fatigue is launched. 
• Aurora-A, a potential new drug to slow tumour growth by blocking cancer-causing protein is identified.

• It is discovered that the protein FGFR1 helps some breast cancers to grow. 
• BRCA trial launched – the first treatment trial for hereditary breast cancer.

• It is discovered that cancer cells with faulty BRCA genes are sensitive to PARP inhibitors (see 2007 and 2009).
• TransATAC study is started – to find out how to predict if a patient’s breast cancer will return (see 2008).
• Breast development gene Scaramanga, which may play a role in breast cancer, is discovered.

• We launch the Breakthrough Generations Study: the world’s largest and most comprehensive study into the causes of breast cancer. Target to recruit 100,000 women to follow over 40 years.

• Protein Endo180’s involvement in cancer spread is discovered.

• Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre, in the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green building, opened by HRH The Prince of Wales.

• Building work begins on the Breakthrough Research Centre.

• Alan Ashworth part of team that discovers BReast CAncer gene, BRCA2.

• Breakthrough Breast Cancer launches. Target to raise £15m to build dedicated breast cancer research centre.

And this is just the start.