Research Progress and Results
Special Research Initiatives
Unlike the procedure used with previous CBCRP-funded research studies, and the majority of scientific research funded in the nation today, the scientists involved in the Special Research Initiatives are not selecting the topics to be studied. To select topics for the initiatives, the CBCRP worked with over 300 leading breast cancer experts and advocates from across the nation.
The CBCRP invited California scientists to submit their proposals and qualifications for investigating the selected Special Research Investigation topics. Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) announcements were sent out to the entire CBCRP mailing list, people identified during the course of the SRI development, relevant organizations and researchers, and investigators and organizations recommended by the Strategy Team and Steering Committee members for four of the initiatives. The responses to the RFQs were evaluated and scored for innovation, impact and approach and feasibility (and in the case of the Survival RFQ, the quality of the study and the comparability to other studies) by external scientific and advocate peer reviewers. The advisory Breast Cancer Research Council funded the following investigators:
- California Chemicals Policy and
Breast Cancer
- John Balmes, M.D. Northern California Center for Occupational and Environmental Health University of California, Berkeley $159,334
- Demographic Questions for
California Breast Cancer Research
- Scarlet Lin Gomez, Ph.D. Northern California Cancer Center $430,989
- Understanding Racial and
Ethnic Differences in Stage-
Specific Breast Cancer Survival:
A Pilot Study
- California Teacher’s Study Katherine Henderson, Ph.D. Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope $32,956
- Los Angeles County Asian American Breast Cancer Study Anna Wu, Ph.D. University of Southern California $32,600
- Multiethnic Cohort Study Kristine Monroe, Ph.D. University of Southern California $31,043
- Pathways: A Study of Breast Cancer Survivorship and Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) Study Marilyn Kwan, Ph.D. Kaiser Foundation Research Institute $30,480
- San Francisco Bay Area Breast Cancer Study Esther John, Ph.D. Northern California Cancer Center $29,000
- Women’s CARE Study Leslie Bernstein, Ph.D. Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope $33,062
Several California data resources were determined to be particularly unique and useful for investigating Special Research Initiative topics. Three cohorts were identified in the course of the SRI development by the Strategy Team and Steering Committee members. These groups then generated ideas for advancing environmental and disparities research through exceptional resources and worked together to elaborate the research concepts and goals. These were evaluated by experts who offered suggestions for improving the potential for significant advances. The advisory Breast Cancer Research Council funded the following investigators:
- Environmental Causes of Breast
Cancer Across Generations
- Barbara Cohn, Ph.D. Public Health Institute, Berkeley $5,000,000
- Exploring Diversity in an Environmental Study of California Teachers
- Peggy Reynolds, Ph.D. Northern California Cancer Center, Berkeley $129,399
Core Funding Investigator Initiated Awards
On the following pages, the results of investigator-initiated research funded by the California Breast Cancer Research Program and completed during 2008 are presented. Listings of research in progress and research Core-funding grants awarded this year are also presented.
The Research Progress and Results section is organized by the CBCRP’s four major Priority Issues:
- The Community Impact of Breast Cancer
- Etiology and Prevention
- Detection, Prognosis, and Treatment
- Biology of the Breast Cell
