Special Research Initiatives
Focus on Environment, Disparities, and Primary Prevention
In 2004, the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) launched its Special Research Initiatives (SRI). The CBCRP’s Breast Cancer Research Council devoted 30 percent of CBCRP research funds to a program of coordinated, directive, and collaborative research on:
- The effects of the environment on the development of breast cancer, and
- Why some groups of women are more likely to get breast cancer or to die from the disease.
The goal of this multi-million effort is to fund research that not only increases knowledge about these questions, but also points to solutions that will reduce the suffering from breast cancer and move us closer to eliminating the disease.
The SRI was carefully crafted through an intensive strategy development process to leverage California's unique and diverse geographic, population, and research resources in order to identify and support critical studies that significantly move these fields forward. The process was designed to avoid duplicating previous research. This effort was led and supported by dozens of Advisors, providing the most up-to-date knowledge and the perspectives of advocates and experts from California and across the nation.
Critical documents were produced in the development of the SRI and guided the research recommendations. These included background papers and the extensively referenced report Identifying Gaps in Breast Cancer Research.
In March 2010, the council decided to build on the existing SRI by devoting 50 percent of CBCRP research funds over the next five years to directed, coordinated, and collaborative research focusing on environment, disparities, and prevention. This includes:
- Identification and elimination of environmental causes of breast cancer;
- Identification and elimination of disparities/inequities in the burden of breast cancer in California;
- Population-level interventions (including policy research) on known and suspected risk factors and protective measures; and
- Targeted interventions for high-risk individuals including new methods for identifying or assessing risk.
SRI Funding Opportunities
While other CBCRP award types are released annually, SRI Calls for Application and grants are not routinely scheduled. This intermittent release of Calls for Applications will continue at least through 2015. Initially the funding topics will follow the existing strategy and research focus to address disparities and the environment, followed by new efforts to research interventions for primary prevention.
For information about applying for the SRI, view the SRI Call for Applications. Visit our Apply section for information about other CBCRP awards.
If you are not already on our mailing list and want to automatically receive SRI funding announcements, please email SRI@CABreastCancer.org.
SRI Research Underway
In March 2008, the CBCRP Advisory Council reviewed the recommendations of the SRI Steering Committee and decided to pursue program-directed research areas. As of March 2010, 14 grants totaling $7,212,594 have been awarded to address the environmental causes of breast cancer and the unequal burden of the disease.
- Disparities
- Race & Ethnicity in Stage-specific Breast Cancer Survival. A pilot project for six researchers to explore combining California studies to explain racial and ethnic differences in breast cancer survival.
- Demographic Questions for California BC Research Scientists and community advocates working to identify demographic measures that will improve understanding of disparities in breast cancer.
- A study of the characteristics of immigration that influence breast cancer risk and overall survival (to be funded in 2010).
- Environment
- California Chemicals Policy & Breast Cancer Developing recommendations for a state chemicals policy that considers breast and other hormonal cancers.
- Environmental Causes of Breast Cancer Across Generations Investigate how exposure to environmental toxins in infants is related to breast cancer risk.
- Multiple grants to create new protocols and methods for testing chemical for their potential role in breast cancer (to be funded in 2010).
- Both Environment and Disparities
- Statistical methods to study interacting factors that impact breast cancer.
- Model-building with Complex Environmental Exposures;
- New Methods for Genomic Studies in African-American Women; and
- Cancer Mapping: Making Spatial Models Work for Communities.
- New Paradigm of Breast Cancer Causation and Prevention Develop a complexity-theory model of breast cancer causation to aid researchers and communities.
To read more about a particular grant, click on the grant title.
More Information
For our latest press releases and other announcements, please check our Media Center. For more information about, please contact Catherine Thomsen at 888.313.2277 or email SRI@CABreastCancer.org.
