We appreciate your support of the Wings of Karen 5K Bra Dash. 100 percent of your contribution will support game-changing work at UW Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. 

 

Together, we are working to find innovative new treatments for breast cancer. And with your help — we can do even more to accelerate discoveries and find cures.

 

Defeating Cancer With the Immune System 

We are using the immune system to counter cancer. We have two vaccines that are being tested by volunteer patients in clinical trials; the Wings of Karen Vaccine helps prevent the development of breast cancer; the other shows promise in inhibiting the growth of triple-negative breast cancer. Future trials will help us understand these vaccines’ potential. We’re also working to create super T cells capable of killing tumors. 

Nora Disis, M.D. 

 

Finding a Solution When Hormone Therapy Fails 

The majority of breast cancers fall into a subtype called estrogen receptor-positive (ER+). Hormone therapy is the most efficient treatment for this type of breast cancer, but women often develop a resistance, making the treatment ineffective. We are using genetic techniques to learn more about the mutations that may influence resistance and help women who do not respond to hormone therapy. 

Chris Kemp, Ph.D., and V.K. Gadi, M.D., Ph.D. 

 

 

 

 

TO OUR BRA DASH FRIENDS 

Thank you for helping us save lives!

Detecting Breast Cancer Genes 

Women can now learn if they carry mutations in two genes — BRCA1 and BRCA2 — that predispose them toward breast cancer. However, some families who do not possess these or other breast cancer-related genes are still affected by the condition. We’re trying to figure out why, and our results indicate that whole-genome sequencing provides the best opportunity in decades to identify novel mutations and new mechanisms for inherited breast cancer. 

Mary-Claire King, Ph.D. 

 

Targeting Cancer’s Achilles’ Heel 

A tumor is made up of malignant cells, white blood cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). TAMs are essential to a tumor’s growth — but they also present a target. We’ve found a way to inject new cancer therapy genes that can kill TAMs and surrounding malignant cells in the lab, and we hope this approach will work for breast cancer patients. 

Andre Liebre, M.D., Ph.D., and Hans-Peter Kiem, M.D., Ph.D.