MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR KOMEN GRANT AWARDED TO UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CANCER CENTER

Local Researcher, Dr. Carol Fabian Receives Multi-Million Dollar Komen Grant to Test Flaxe Seed as a Possible Prevention for Breast Cancer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – University of Kansas Cancer Center researcher Carol Fabian, MD, a leader in the area of breast cancer prevention, has received a $4.5 million Promise Grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure® grant to investigate whether an estrogen found in flax seed – a commonly used supplement – can reduce the risk for breast cancer.

Secoisolariciresinol (SDG) is a weak plant estrogen, but its highest concentration is found in flax seed. Dr. Fabian, along with a team of researchers at the University of Texas-Austin who share in the $4.5 million grant, will study whether SDG can be used as a prevention strategy for pre-menopausal women at high risk for developing breast cancer. The study will be conducted in eight universities across the country. 

 “We want to test whether SDG is likely to reduce risk for breast cancer in premenopausal women,” says Dr. Fabian, who is the director of the KU Breast Cancer Prevention Center. “We will try to confirm the apparent reduction in cell growth and precancerous cells observed in an earlier pilot study.”

Komen for the Cure Promise Grants are large-scale grants up to $5 million each over a five-year period, targeted to research that brings science to the bedside quickly. The $4.5 million grant is part of a $59 million portfolio of research grants that Komen will award to scientists worldwide in 2010.

 “Komen’s infusion of millions of dollars into research projects means that promising research that is designed to treat and ultimately eradicate breast cancer will continue,” says Eric Winer, MD, Komen’s chief scientific advisor.

Since 2001, Komen has awarded $1.7 million in research grants in Kansas, part of the $450 million Komen has invested in research globally since it was founded in 1982. In addition to research funding, Kansas’ two Komen Affiliates invested $2.2 million in their local communities last year for programs supporting early detection and treatment of breast cancer, breast health education and outreach. Nationwide, Komen Affiliates invested a total of $130 million in their local communities in 2009 and $900 million since 1982. For more information, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.