Your Funds At Work

Thanks to the incredible efforts of over 2,000 walkers and thousands of donors, sponsors, and volunteers, The 2005 Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer was a tremendous success. Thousands walked through the streets of London, raising over £5.4 million in support of breast cancer research and education programmes funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the UK’s leading charity committed to breaking through breast cancer.

Funds raised from The 2005 Weekend are providing support to our critical research and education initiatives, including the Breakthrough Generations Study, and the Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre.

The Breakthrough Generations Study

The Breakthrough Generations Study is a unique study dedicated to investigating the causes of breast cancer. Led by two of the world’s leading medical scientists, Professor Alan Ashworth and Professor Tony Swerdlow, and supported by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and The Institute of Cancer Research, the Breakthrough Generations Study will be the largest and most comprehensive investigation ever undertaken into the causes of breast cancer.

Including 100,000 women and spanning over 40 years, the study will recruit generations of women from all walks of life from the age of 18 upwards. Participants are being asked to complete a detailed questionnaire about factors that might affect the risk of breast cancer, and provide a blood sample, which may be analysed for genetic and hormonal factors that might influence breast cancer risk. Participants will be monitored periodically for over 40 years, during which time it will be possible to compare risk factors in women who develop breast cancer with those who do not. This will enable the identification of factors that are predictive of breast cancer occurrence, and those which lead to a reduced risk. Obtaining complete and reliable information on why some women develop breast cancer will benefit present and future generations, and will enable women to make informed lifestyle choices.

The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre
The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre is the first dedicated breast cancer research facility in the UK. The Breakthrough Research Centre is dedicated to cutting edge biological research that aims to eradicate breast cancer by discovering its causes, finding methods of prevention, and developing new treatments and more effective diagnosis. In order to eradicate breast cancer, much more must be learned about the events that lead to breast cancer. This fundamental knowledge is the key to better diagnostic techniques and safe, targeted treatments for people with breast cancer.

We believe that the best way to understand such a complex problem as breast cancer is to have world-class scientists and clinicians with a broad range of specialties working together under one roof, sharing their expertise and focusing on breast cancer.

Directed by Professor Alan Ashworth, the Breakthrough Research Centre houses eight different research teams working together towards a future free from the fear of breast cancer.

Research conducted at the Breakthrough Research Centre can potentially benefit people the world over and Breakthrough scientists are already pushing the boundaries of breast cancer research, both in the UK and internationally. 

Putting people affected by breast cancer at the heart of our work

Our campaigning and education work raises the profile of breast cancer, to fight for the best possible treatments and services for everyone, and to increase awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding the disease.  Our Campaigns and Advocacy Network (Breakthrough CAN) is made up of individuals and organisations who aim to make a difference to breast cancer services, treatment and research by campaigning for improvements.

Our work benefits from funds raised from the Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Here are some specific ways that the money from The Weekend is spent.

How we will spend the money you raise
Proceeds from The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer will help fund the critical work of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
£10 will buy 500 microfuge tubes where reactions in the laboratory take place.

£125 will buy a pipette for measuring exact amounts of solutions during experiments.

£500 will buy a transilluminator, essential for scientists to study DNA during experiments.

£4,000 will buy a specialist incubator that is vital for growing cells within the laboratory.

£16,000 will buy enough specialist chemicals and essential equipment to enable one scientist to carry out their research for a year.

To find out more about Breakthrough Breast Cancer please visit breakthrough.org.uk or call 0808 0100 200.