Breast cancer research grant awarded

Professor Colin Palmer, based in the School of Medicine, has been awarded a three year research grant of over £194,000 to study the role of dietary fats in breast cancer.

The grant forms part of a record level of research funding of almost £5 million awarded by Breast Cancer Campaign, the charity that aims to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world class research.

It is believed that high levels of dietary fat may play a role in breast cancer development. This fat has been shown to allow cancer cells to grow quickly and escape destruction by the body's immune system. However, not all dietary fat is bad as high levels of fish oils in the diet can protect against cancer.

It is important to find out whether dietary fat plays a role in breast cancer development and establish which fats offer protection and which are harmful.

Professor Palmer has discovered a receptor within the cells in the breast that bind fats called PPAR and appears to directly control tumour growth. He will spend the next three years studying the role of PPAR in breast cancer development.

"I hope my research will enable us to determine the role of dietary fats in breast cancer and ultimately lead to new drugs to protect against breast cancer," he said.

Breast Cancer Campaign currently supports 105 research projects throughout the UK worth over £12.8 million, 14 of which are being carried out in Scotland, five in Dundee.