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Cancer research

Unlocking the Secrets of Breast Cancer: New Research Aims to Understand Genetic Variation and Protein Regulation

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research by Dr Seyed Mehdi Jafarnejad at Queen's University Belfast has been awarded £314,945 by Breast Cancer Now to investigate the role of the ZFP36L1 protein in breast cancer risk. The study aims to understand why lower levels of this protein increase the risk of breast cancer, particularly in men, and how it regulates different processes in healthy breast cells. The researchers will use breast tumour samples from two studies to explore the relationship between the ZFP36L1 protein and breast cancer in both men and women.

Key Takeaways:

  • Dr Jafarnejad's research is focused on understanding the role of the ZFP36L1 protein in breast cancer risk, particularly in men.
  • Lower levels of the ZFP36L1 protein have been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, with people having lower levels of this protein in breast tumours often having a poorer outlook.
  • The research aims to understand why the ZFP36L1 protein impacts breast cancer risk differently in men and women.
  • The study will investigate how the ZFP36L1 protein regulates different processes in healthy breast cells and how a breakdown in this system can lead to healthy cells becoming cancerous.
  • The researchers will use breast tumour samples from the Breast Cancer Now Male Breast Cancer Study and the Breast Cancer Now Generations Study to explore which genes the ZFP36L1 protein controls in healthy breast cells and breast cancer cells in both men and women.
  • The study may help identify new and better ways to treat and prevent breast cancer, particularly in men.

Statistics:

  • 55,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK.
  • Men have a lower risk of developing breast cancer due to differences in hormones and the number of breast cells in women compared to men.
  • 80% of breast tumours are diagnosed as breast cancer in women, whereas in men, the rate is around 25% (Breast Cancer Now).
  • The ZFP36L1 protein is found to be reduced in breast cancer cells compared to healthy breast cells.

Sources:

  • Breast Cancer Now (no date)
  • Dr Seyed Mehdi Jafarnejad (no date)
  • Queen's University Belfast (no date)
  • Dr Simon Vincent, Breast Cancer Now's chief scientific officer (no date)
  • Breast Cancer Now's free confidential helpline (0808 800 6000) and website (breastcancernow.org)

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