Since Evelyn H. Lauder and Dr. Larry Norton launched BCRF in 1993 remarkable advances in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and metastasis have been made. But there is still critical work to be done. The Foundation is moving faster and closer than ever to achieving its mission to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. 

We spoke with BCRF co-founder and Founding Scientific Director, Dr. Larry Norton to discuss the progress BCRF has made and what advances are on the horizon. Dr. Norton is Senior Vice President in the Office of the President and Medical Director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is also a Professor of Medicine, Weill-Cornell Medical College. Dr. Norton has dedicated his life to the eradication of cancer through his work in medical care, laboratory and clinical research, advocacy, and government.

In this latest episode of Investigating Breast Cancer, Dr. Nora Disis talks about prevention, treatment, breast cancer vaccine research, and more. Her research focuses on identifying ways to boost the immune response in breast cancer patients to improve chemotherapy outcomes. She is working on discovering new molecular immunologic targets in solid tumors to develop vaccines and cellular therapy for treating and preventing breast cancer.

Dr. Disis, a BCRF investigator since 2016, is the Athena Distinguished Professor of Breast Cancer Research and the associate dean for Translational Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is also the editor-in-chief of JAMA Oncology.

There are some technologies that enhance human efforts and abilities and other technologies that make such a drastic impact–– they revolutionize protocol and entire ways of thinking. AI in the healthcare field is one such technology. Scientists like BCRF Investigator, Dr. Regina Barzilay, are working on ways to harness AI to improve how medical professionals interpret mammograms, and finesse and better personalize existing risk prediction models, and tackle disparities in screening and risk assessment.

Dr. Barzilay, a BCRF investigator since 2022, is a School of Engineering Distinguished Professor for AI and Health in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT.

Why have so many individuals who carry BRCA mutations not undergone genetic testing and counseling? How do we eliminate barriers to this lifesaving care?

Dr. Susan Domchek talks about her work to tackle these issues and more in the latest episode of BCRF's official podcast, Investigating Breast Cancer.

What elements of our environment are carcinogenic? What role do factors like age, diet, and genetics play? And because cancer is biological in nature, many of us tend to think about the individual and their body as an obvious point of focus. What about, though, the larger, societal picture?

That’s what Dr. Scarlett Gomez and the field of social epidemiology are working to uncover and what you’ll hear about in this latest episode.

In the latest episode of Investigating Breast Cancer, Dr. Ian Krop discusses his team’s work to advance clinical trials through—including one to test immunotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer. A BCRF investigator since 2017, Dr. Krop is the chief clinical research officer and associate cancer center director for clinical research at the Yale Cancer Center.

Dr. Krop also currently serves as chief scientific officer for the BCRF-supported Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium.

The complexities of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) can sometimes make it hard to understand. It’s an aggressive form of breast cancer that is more likely to spread to other tissues––a process called metastasis.

BCRF Investigator since 2005, Dr. Jill Bargonetti’s research works to break down some of the complexities of TNBC. Her research has put her at the forefront of how we might develop novel strategies to accurately identify and kill these cells. In this latest episode of Investigating Breast Cancer Dr. Bargonetti uses dance and other techniques to explain molecular biology, genomics, and much more.

Why are Black women 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women? And why is it such a challenge to make clinical trials reflect everyone who faces breast cancer?

That’s what Dr. Sonya Reid and her team are working to uncover by addressing disparities in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment through research. Dr. Reid is an assistant professor of hematology/oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her three-year Conquer Cancer–BCRF grant was made possible by The Estée Lauder Companies' Charitable Foundation Awards.

Each October, BCRF holds its annual New York Symposium and Awards Luncheon. The event recognizes BCRF-supported investigators for their devotion to ending breast cancer and announces the Foundation’s research investment for the coming year.

This year’s program included an extraordinary symposium, co-moderated by BCRF Founding Scientific Director Dr. Larry Norton and BCRF Scientific Director Dr. Judy Garber, that included Drs. Lisa Newman, Andrew Tutt, and Maria Jasin, who discussed novel breast cancer therapies, disparities, and what’s on the horizon in research.

We’re proud to make their discussion available in a special episode of Investigating Breast Cancer.

What are dormant cancer cells and how they lead to a clearer understanding of the cancer in remission? Why do particular cancerous cells behave differently than others? BCRF Investigator since 2017, Dr. Angela DeMichele, discusses her work to uncover the answer to these questions and more.