September 23, 2009

Breast Cancer Awareness Day to feature two events

A renowned researcher's lecture will highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Day at Purdue along with an event featuring three Indiana women involved in fighting the disease.

Both events, which are free and open to the public, will be on Oct. 7, helping mark National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They are sponsored by Sigma Xi, Purdue's Breast Cancer Discovery Group and the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research.

Mina Bissell, distinguished scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., will present the Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture, "Genes and the Microenvironment: The Two Faces of Breast Cancer." The lecture will be at noon-1 p.m. in Deans Auditorium, Pfendler Hall, followed by a reception.

Bissell is credited with demonstrating that the microenvironment of cells contributes to breast cancer development. Her work has created several paradigm shifts by illustrating the importance of extracellular matrix in controlling breast cell behavior and the powerful effect of cellular organization on gene expression control at a time when many scientists believed that mutations were the primary causes of cancer.

Bissell is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. More about her lab, her work and her many awards is at www.lbl.gov/LBL-Programs/lifesciences/BissellLab/main.html.

An evening event will present the accounts of three women in Indiana who are fighting on various fronts in the battle against breast cancer. The event will be at 6-8 p.m. at YWCA Greater Lafayette, 605 N. Sixth St., Lafayette. A light buffet and refreshments will be provided. A reception will follow the presentations. The speakers are:

* Dr. Sue Clare, Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, on "The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center: How Normal Breast Tissue Can Facilitate Breast Cancer Research."

* Meghan McDonough, health and kinesiology, and Purdue Breast Cancer Discovery Group, on "Moving Forward: Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Survivorship."

* Claudia Kruggel, consumer advocate, member of Consumer Advocates in Research and Related Activities in the National Cancer Institute (NCI-CARRA), on "The Impact of Consumer Advocate Involvement in Research."

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. More about the month is at www.nbcam.org. More about the Center for Cancer Research is at https://www.cancerresearch.purdue.edu/.