California Breast Cancer Research Program: History and New Awards
While breast cancer is as serious a threat to women in other states across the U.S. as it is to the women of California, California is unique in the effort and resources it invests to find an end to this disease. In 1993, the California legislature, guided by breast cancer advocates across the state, recognized the need to respond to the breast cancer epidemic. With the passage of the Breast Cancer Act (sponsored by then Assemblywoman Barbara Friedman), the tobacco tax was increased by two cents per pack to create an ongoing source of funds to support what remains the largest effort by a state to decrease the human and economic cost of breast cancer. Each year, this tax provides new dollars ($16.7 million in 1999) devoted exclusively to research on the cause, prevention, detection, treatment and cure of breast cancer. Additional funds ($726,000 in 1999) come from taxpayer donations selected on the state income tax return, and from private donations.
The California Breast Cancer Research Program was established at the University of California, Office of the President to spearhead efforts to stimulate innovative and creative breast cancer research that complements, but does not duplicate, research funded by other agencies. Program staff are responsible for implementing Program policies and managing all aspects of the solicitation, review, award and oversight of research grants.
The Breast Cancer Research Council determines the vision, priorities and strategies of the CBCRP. The Council is composed of scientists, clinicians, representatives of industry and non-profit health organizations, and advocates, each serving a term of three years. As an advisory body, the Council determines the Program focus and investment strategy, assists in policy development, and provides the Program staff with input at critical decision points. The Council also carries out the programmatic review of applications - evaluating proposals for relevance to programmatic goals.
From its conception, the Program has been a partnership between all Californians concerned about breast cancer. Legislators, breast cancer advocates, academic and biotechnology scientists, clinicians, and University of California officials worked together to draft the enabling legislation. Representatives of these same constituencies advise the Program on research priorities and grant funding; similarly diverse groups are convened to review grant applications.
CBCRP carries out its mission through four broad strategies:
- By supporting the best, most innovative research.
- Funding the training of new researchers.
- Fostering the collaboration of new teams of researchers.
- Fostering dissemination of research results to scientists, health care professionals and the public.
Through investing in these strategies, California is investing in the future of Californians. By encouraging and identifying innovative research on breast cancer, attracting and training some of the most talented scientists into this endeavor, and influencing the way scientists interact with each other and the lay public, California is making an investment that will pay vital dividends in years to come.
1999 marked another year of important achievements and growth for the CBCRP. With a budget of $17,432,000, CBCRP was able to award 62 new single- and multiple-year grants at 26 institutions. The projects include:
7 grants to expand our knowledge of the biology of the normal breast, including searching for, and understanding, the role of genes involved in the development of the normal breast, and examining the role of cellular products in the transition to breast cancer.
6 grants to investigate factors that increase the risk of breast cancer, including exploration of hormones other than estrogen (i.e., leptin and growth hormones) and exploration of adolescent experiences and exposures that may bring about breast cancer later in life.
3 grants to explore ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer, including exploring the mechanism by which exercise may reduce risk and investigating the combined effects of genes and soy consumption.
19 grants to further understand how breast cancer develops, including how new blood vessels form to feed tumors, and how this process can be interrupted, different pathways in which tumor cells are instructed to grow, and how this can be interrupted, and investigation of newly discovered genes involved in breast cancer progression.
11 grants to develop new treatments for breast cancer, including exploration of the effects of herbs used in Chinese medicine, development of vaccines, and the role of tumor markers in predicting response to therapy.
5 grants exploring ways to detect breast cancer earlier by using biomarkers and detection of proteins and tumor cells in the blood.
12 grants exploring socio-cultural, behavioral, and psychological aspects of breast cancer, including the role of support groups, partners and making meaning of the disease in quality of life, acceptability of genetic testing and chemoprevention, and communication of risk.
4 grants to teams of community members/organizations and research scientists focused on issues identified by, and important to, communities in the state, including Asian and Pacific Islander populations, isolated women and working women.
1 grant to a cross-disciplinary team of research scientists focused on bringing results of scientific research into practical application, by exploring the relationship between tumor markers and response to therapy in a community setting.
18 grants to new investigators in breast cancer to establish their careers in areas that will make an impact in breast cancer.
6 fully developed research grants in areas that have been identified as relatively under-funded, but important to advance our knowledge of breast cancer; namely biology of the normal breast, prevention and risk reduction, and socio-cultural, behavioral, and psychological issues.
34 grants to explore innovative concepts that may open new avenues for breast cancer research and new options for prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer.
This report describes CBCRP's recent activities, goals, progress, and plans for the challenges that lie ahead on the road to decreasing the human and economic cost of breast cancer for the people of California.
