Susan G. Komen has announced three grants totaling $1.5 million in support of research projects focused on metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Grants of $500,000 each were awarded through the Susan G. Komen Metastatic Breast Cancer Collaborative Research Initiative, an initiative that pairs researchers from the Duke Cancer Institute and the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to address significant gaps in MBC knowledge to advance patient care and improve outcomes. Projects include investigations into how the ancestry of different populations impacts the immune response to metastatic breast cancer; the use of information on tumor biology and social factors in UNC’s longstanding Carolina Breast Cancer Study (CBCS) to understand racial differences in breast cancer metastasis and death; and development of a personalized anti-tumor vaccine strategy for patients with advanced triple negative breast cancer that would mobilize the body’s immune system (T cells) to shut down tumor growth and metastasis.

"We know that finding the cures for breast cancer will only be accomplished by working together through innovative research," said Komen president and CEO Paula Schneider. "It's this strong belief in the power of collaboration to advance discovery that led to this novel partnership between some of the leading researchers at two institutions that are known for their rivalry."