Breakthrough generations study

Breast cancer is something that's deeply affected my life so a few years ago I joined up to the Breakthrough Generations study. I decided to make a thread to plug the study to all the girls on the forum (and to any guys who could potentially rope female friends and family into it). You can read more about it on the website below but basically it's a huge project to gather as much information as possible about the risk factors that can lead to developing the disease.

All you have to do is sign up and they send you a questionaire and some blood tubes. Once you've completed the questionaire (takes about 30 mins) and/or had samples taken you send it back to the address they give you (free postage). You can just do the questionaire if you're squeemish but the more information they have the better so if you can give samples that's extra amazing (you just make an appointment at your GP surgery and explain what it's for).

I think they send you another questionaire every 5 years or so to get an idea of what things increase or decrease the risk of breast cancer. Once or twice a year they send you a newsletter that tells you some interesting things about what they've found so far, interviews with the research team etc.

The web address is this: http://www.breakthroughgenerations.org.uk/

Please, please, please sign-up girlies and tell all the females you know! I'll love you all (even more) forever!

xxKPxx

Noble cause I hope your plug works well!

Sure, thanks KP. A family member has surgery for this tomorrow so well timed :)

Been a subject in so many others I may as well!

WandA wrote:

Noble cause I hope your plug works well!

Yes it feels lovely thank you....oh you don't mean my butt budy?! External Media

xxKPxx

Oooh will have a look thanks KP

Adx

Great cause honey! I'm deffinately in! I'll let my friends know aswell! Hope you get loads of ladies willing to help. x MC x

YAY! Recruits!!!! Much, much love to Rowan, AdnaW and Merry Cherry for signing up. I knew I could count on the OA

xxKPxx

WandA wrote:

Noble cause I hope your plug works well!

This. I admit that when I finish my masters and then PHD I'd really like to do some research into the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and try to find some type of preventative or cure. It's kind of a fleeting dream of mine to be the one to cure cancer.

Muz333 wrote:

WandA wrote:

Noble cause I hope your plug works well!

This. I admit that when I finish my masters and then PHD I'd really like to do some research into the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and try to find some type of preventative or cure. It's kind of a fleeting dream of mine to be the one to cure cancer.

I don't think any one person will cure anything ever again, there's too much work involved for one person to do it, tis all research teams nowadays! Also cancer isn't one disease, it's lots of complicated ones so I doubt we will ever cure cancer more likely we will find lots of cures for lots of different cancers.

I know I'm biased but I do think it's a great area of research to be in: from a doing-good and scientific interest point of view it's amazing!

xxKPxx

KP I have just signed up, will see what I can do about others xxx

Yay!!!! Another recruit, thanking you

xxKPxx

I have added it to my facebook page also in the hope people will sign up and pass it on xxx

suze9 wrote:

I have added it to my facebook page also in the hope people will sign up and pass it on xxx

Gold star and a big kiss for you!!! Excellent idea External MediaExternal Media

xxKPxx

KittyPurry wrote:

Muz333 wrote:

WandA wrote:

Noble cause I hope your plug works well!

This. I admit that when I finish my masters and then PHD I'd really like to do some research into the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and try to find some type of preventative or cure. It's kind of a fleeting dream of mine to be the one to cure cancer.

I don't think any one person will cure anything ever again, there's too much work involved for one person to do it, tis all research teams nowadays! Also cancer isn't one disease, it's lots of complicated ones so I doubt we will ever cure cancer more likely we will find lots of cures for lots of different cancers.

I know I'm biased but I do think it's a great area of research to be in: from a doing-good and scientific interest point of view it's amazing!

xxKPxx

Of course in a team but I think it's quite plausible some clever clogs will invent nanobots or DNA shifters or some such and cure a lot in one go! Let us be unscientific and hope!External Media

WandA wrote:

KittyPurry wrote:

Muz333 wrote:

WandA wrote:

Noble cause I hope your plug works well!

This. I admit that when I finish my masters and then PHD I'd really like to do some research into the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and try to find some type of preventative or cure. It's kind of a fleeting dream of mine to be the one to cure cancer.

I don't think any one person will cure anything ever again, there's too much work involved for one person to do it, tis all research teams nowadays! Also cancer isn't one disease, it's lots of complicated ones so I doubt we will ever cure cancer more likely we will find lots of cures for lots of different cancers.

I know I'm biased but I do think it's a great area of research to be in: from a doing-good and scientific interest point of view it's amazing!

xxKPxx

Of course in a team but I think it's quite plausible some clever clogs will invent nanobots or DNA shifters or some such and cure a lot in one go! Let us be unscientific and hope!External Media

I rekon it will be one person who has the idea, but beacuse of the complexity, it will require a team to make the idea become reality. At the moment i think the trouble they are having with changing bits of DNA is the vector (bit of "stuff" used to transport the vector) for you bio nerds out there External Media

KittyPurry wrote:

suze9 wrote:

I have added it to my facebook page also in the hope people will sign up and pass it on xxx

Gold star and a big kiss for you!!! Excellent idea External MediaExternal Media

xxKPxx

External Media ty

Signed up. Thank you for posting this, KP.

I've signed up too. I'm getting bloods done when I get my next B12 injection so will just get the nurse to take some extra, might as well while I'm there.

Well done KP for raising awareness. x

hey ive just signed up ill try and get the blood dot but dont know if ill be able to bring myself to do it . but ill definatly do the survey :). this is great way for getting out awareness! xxx

KittyPurry wrote:

I don't think any one person will cure anything ever again, there's too much work involved for one person to do it, tis all research teams nowadays! Also cancer isn't one disease, it's lots of complicated ones so I doubt we will ever cure cancer more likely we will find lots of cures for lots of different cancers.

I know I'm biased but I do think it's a great area of research to be in: from a doing-good and scientific interest point of view it's amazing!

xxKPxx

Very true and as I mentioned specific genes it's obvious I'm basing it on prior research as well but I'd very much like to join the team. Granted cancer is multifactorial I believe all types of cancer can be cured by gene therapy. Cancer is after all a failing of tumourgenic suppressor genes and RNA satellites but I reckon if we can isolate the problem then on a case by case basis we can repair the DNA. Although gene therapy has some time to go yet as it's usually infective at today's state of technology.