Charities urge people to ‘Get Your Frock On!’ this Breast Cancer Awareness Month to fund animal free research into the causes of breast cancer
Two national charities have joined forces this Breast Cancer Awareness Month and are calling on people across the country to ‘Get Your Frock On!’ and ‘Dress smart to help us get smart with animal free research into breast cancer’.
The partnership between Animal Free Research UK and Breast Cancer UK is changing the way that charities work together by combining their joint expertise and visions to fund a three-year animal free breast cancer research project.
Led by scientist Professor Valerie Speirs, from the University of Leeds, the study will help researchers to further understand the role played by potentially harmful chemicals and their impact on breast density. High breast density is a key risk factor for breast cancer.
The research will explore whether endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have an impact on breast density. Many EDCs are synthetic and can be found in many every day items including plastics, personal care products, cosmetics, domestic cleaning products and food and drink.
This research will help to understand whether these chemicals have an impact on breast density. And help to identify ways in which breast cancers can be prevented in the future. No animals will be used in the research. Instead, human tissue samples from national and international breast tissue bio-banks will be used.
Between them, the charities aim to raise £90,000 to fund this groundbreaking research.
Lynn Ladbrook chief executive of Breast Cancer UK. A charity that works to prevent breast cancer by tackling the environmental and chemical causes of the disease said: “Over 55,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. One in eight women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some stage in their lives. Understanding why we are becoming more vulnerable to this disease is imperative if we are to begin to reduce these numbers. This project could help us to better understand whether our environments are making the breast more vulnerable to breast cancer”
Emma Wrafter, development director at Animal Free Research UK said: “We are two small charities with a huge vision. In 2016 alone, over four million animals were used in medical research. What many people don’t know is that much of the research is less effective. When translated into humans and the animals are destroyed afterwards.
She continued: “Working together on a project such as this allows us to take huge strides. Into learning more about human relevant breast cancer research and prevention. It’s a very exciting time – and we are calling on everyone to get behind the campaign. And get their frocks on to help us save the lives of people and animals.”
To find out more about the campaign, breast cancer awareness month and to sign up, head to www.getyourfrockon.org
