Breakthrough Breast Cancer seeking 'the best and the brightest'

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has a number of vacancies ranging from trainees to senior managers in various areas. Photograph: Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Tell us about Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a passionate, focused and energetic charity committed to achieving our vision of a world freed from breast cancer. First and foremost we're a research organisation, funding 25% of all breast cancer research in the UK, and this underpins every part of our work. Breakthrough's research is saving lives by helping improve early diagnosis, developing new treatments and working to ultimately prevent all types of breast cancer.

What is the focus of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer team?
Our research is the heart of what we do at Breakthrough, but the work that takes place outside the laboratory is equally important. Our work covers all aspects of breast cancer including patient advocacy, mass engagement, fundraising and working with policy makers to ensure breast cancer patients and their families get the best and most current, effective care possible.

We've got a huge challenge ahead of us, but we're fortunate to have a talented, driven team who not only enjoy what they do, but are also making a huge difference to the lives of the thousands of men and women affected by breast cancer in the UK.

Tell us a bit about your careers open day. Why are you doing it?
If we're going to make our vision of a world freed from breast cancer a reality, then we're going to need the best and the brightest. We currently have a number of vacancies across the organisation and we're inviting applications for a range of jobs, from trainees to senior managers, in fundraising, communications, marketing and business development. Our careers open day is an opportunity for prospective members of our team to come and meet us, learn about what we do and find out first-hand how we're making a real difference to the lives of people affected by breast cancer.

Is breast cancer just a women's issue?
Every year, 50,000 women and 400 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Everyone knows someone who's been affected by breast cancer, and the shock and grief that the disease causes affects individuals, their friends and their families. Breast cancer is everyone's problem, and Breakthrough is dedicated to uniting everybody affected by and working against the disease.

I'm not a scientist, how could I make an impact on breast cancer?
Our scientific research is important, but there are so many teams in Breakthrough fighting breast cancer on all fronts. Outside the lab our teams engage with policy makers, campaign for better breast awareness, produce health information, fundraise, and work with our many supporters with the aim of stopping women and men dying from breast cancer.

What are the opportunities over the next few years for Breakthrough Breast Cancer? And how will these prospective applicants contribute to Breakthrough's ongoing success?
Over the years we've had the benefit of experience and expertise from every professional sector, and moving forward we want to build on this, grow our workforce and get ever closer to achieving our goals. We are at an exciting stage of our development; we've just launched our new strategy and five new areas of focus for our work, so we're actively seeking the best of the best to make these ambitions a reality. Our careers open day is an opportunity for people to find out what we want to achieve, and let us know how they can help us do it.

What's it like to work in the charity sector?
Working in the charity sector is a rewarding experience; your work is making a difference to people's lives, and bringing about positive social change. At Breakthrough, we pride ourselves on using business methods to capitalise on every opportunity, and ensure every penny of our fundraisers' money goes towards achieving our ultimate aim of stopping women and men dying from breast cancer.

Why should people want to work for Breakthrough?
Our recent in-house opinion survey showed that over 80% of our people would recommend Breakthrough as an employer; we've got a great team working in a lively, engaging environment. There are great benefits, and our staff progression scheme allows our team members to grow and develop into their roles.

But beyond that, Breakthrough is a unique, special place to work. Being part of our team means you're making a genuine difference to the lives of people living with breast cancer. Breakthrough is a force for change, and everyone who works here takes us a step closer to achieving the vision that underpins all of our work, a world freed from breast cancer.

Catherine Devitt is director of people and organisation development at Breakthrough Breast Cancer

For more information about our benefits and vacancies please visit Breakthrough's careers page. If you would like to attend the careers open day please email openday@breakthrough.org.uk

This content is produced and funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer

View the original article here

Breakthrough Breast Cancer seeking 'the best and the brightest'

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has a number of vacancies ranging from trainees to senior managers in various areas. Photograph: Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Tell us about Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a passionate, focused and energetic charity committed to achieving our vision of a world freed from breast cancer. First and foremost we're a research organisation, funding 25% of all breast cancer research in the UK, and this underpins every part of our work. Breakthrough's research is saving lives by helping improve early diagnosis, developing new treatments and working to ultimately prevent all types of breast cancer.

What is the focus of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer team?
Our research is the heart of what we do at Breakthrough, but the work that takes place outside the laboratory is equally important. Our work covers all aspects of breast cancer including patient advocacy, mass engagement, fundraising and working with policy makers to ensure breast cancer patients and their families get the best and most current, effective care possible.

We've got a huge challenge ahead of us, but we're fortunate to have a talented, driven team who not only enjoy what they do, but are also making a huge difference to the lives of the thousands of men and women affected by breast cancer in the UK.

Tell us a bit about your careers open day. Why are you doing it?
If we're going to make our vision of a world freed from breast cancer a reality, then we're going to need the best and the brightest. We currently have a number of vacancies across the organisation and we're inviting applications for a range of jobs, from trainees to senior managers, in fundraising, communications, marketing and business development. Our careers open day is an opportunity for prospective members of our team to come and meet us, learn about what we do and find out first-hand how we're making a real difference to the lives of people affected by breast cancer.

Is breast cancer just a women's issue?
Every year, 50,000 women and 400 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Everyone knows someone who's been affected by breast cancer, and the shock and grief that the disease causes affects individuals, their friends and their families. Breast cancer is everyone's problem, and Breakthrough is dedicated to uniting everybody affected by and working against the disease.

I'm not a scientist, how could I make an impact on breast cancer?
Our scientific research is important, but there are so many teams in Breakthrough fighting breast cancer on all fronts. Outside the lab our teams engage with policy makers, campaign for better breast awareness, produce health information, fundraise, and work with our many supporters with the aim of stopping women and men dying from breast cancer.

What are the opportunities over the next few years for Breakthrough Breast Cancer? And how will these prospective applicants contribute to Breakthrough's ongoing success?
Over the years we've had the benefit of experience and expertise from every professional sector, and moving forward we want to build on this, grow our workforce and get ever closer to achieving our goals. We are at an exciting stage of our development; we've just launched our new strategy and five new areas of focus for our work, so we're actively seeking the best of the best to make these ambitions a reality. Our careers open day is an opportunity for people to find out what we want to achieve, and let us know how they can help us do it.

What's it like to work in the charity sector?
Working in the charity sector is a rewarding experience; your work is making a difference to people's lives, and bringing about positive social change. At Breakthrough, we pride ourselves on using business methods to capitalise on every opportunity, and ensure every penny of our fundraisers' money goes towards achieving our ultimate aim of stopping women and men dying from breast cancer.

Why should people want to work for Breakthrough?
Our recent in-house opinion survey showed that over 80% of our people would recommend Breakthrough as an employer; we've got a great team working in a lively, engaging environment. There are great benefits, and our staff progression scheme allows our team members to grow and develop into their roles.

But beyond that, Breakthrough is a unique, special place to work. Being part of our team means you're making a genuine difference to the lives of people living with breast cancer. Breakthrough is a force for change, and everyone who works here takes us a step closer to achieving the vision that underpins all of our work, a world freed from breast cancer.

Catherine Devitt is director of people and organisation development at Breakthrough Breast Cancer

For more information about our benefits and vacancies please visit Breakthrough's careers page. If you would like to attend the careers open day please email openday@breakthrough.org.uk

This content is produced and funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer

View the original article here

Breakthrough Breast Cancer seeking 'the best and the brightest'

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has a number of vacancies ranging from trainees to senior managers in various areas. Photograph: Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Tell us about Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a passionate, focused and energetic charity committed to achieving our vision of a world freed from breast cancer. First and foremost we're a research organisation, funding 25% of all breast cancer research in the UK, and this underpins every part of our work. Breakthrough's research is saving lives by helping improve early diagnosis, developing new treatments and working to ultimately prevent all types of breast cancer.

What is the focus of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer team?
Our research is the heart of what we do at Breakthrough, but the work that takes place outside the laboratory is equally important. Our work covers all aspects of breast cancer including patient advocacy, mass engagement, fundraising and working with policy makers to ensure breast cancer patients and their families get the best and most current, effective care possible.

We've got a huge challenge ahead of us, but we're fortunate to have a talented, driven team who not only enjoy what they do, but are also making a huge difference to the lives of the thousands of men and women affected by breast cancer in the UK.

Tell us a bit about your careers open day. Why are you doing it?
If we're going to make our vision of a world freed from breast cancer a reality, then we're going to need the best and the brightest. We currently have a number of vacancies across the organisation and we're inviting applications for a range of jobs, from trainees to senior managers, in fundraising, communications, marketing and business development. Our careers open day is an opportunity for prospective members of our team to come and meet us, learn about what we do and find out first-hand how we're making a real difference to the lives of people affected by breast cancer.

Is breast cancer just a women's issue?
Every year, 50,000 women and 400 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Everyone knows someone who's been affected by breast cancer, and the shock and grief that the disease causes affects individuals, their friends and their families. Breast cancer is everyone's problem, and Breakthrough is dedicated to uniting everybody affected by and working against the disease.

I'm not a scientist, how could I make an impact on breast cancer?
Our scientific research is important, but there are so many teams in Breakthrough fighting breast cancer on all fronts. Outside the lab our teams engage with policy makers, campaign for better breast awareness, produce health information, fundraise, and work with our many supporters with the aim of stopping women and men dying from breast cancer.

What are the opportunities over the next few years for Breakthrough Breast Cancer? And how will these prospective applicants contribute to Breakthrough's ongoing success?
Over the years we've had the benefit of experience and expertise from every professional sector, and moving forward we want to build on this, grow our workforce and get ever closer to achieving our goals. We are at an exciting stage of our development; we've just launched our new strategy and five new areas of focus for our work, so we're actively seeking the best of the best to make these ambitions a reality. Our careers open day is an opportunity for people to find out what we want to achieve, and let us know how they can help us do it.

What's it like to work in the charity sector?
Working in the charity sector is a rewarding experience; your work is making a difference to people's lives, and bringing about positive social change. At Breakthrough, we pride ourselves on using business methods to capitalise on every opportunity, and ensure every penny of our fundraisers' money goes towards achieving our ultimate aim of stopping women and men dying from breast cancer.

Why should people want to work for Breakthrough?
Our recent in-house opinion survey showed that over 80% of our people would recommend Breakthrough as an employer; we've got a great team working in a lively, engaging environment. There are great benefits, and our staff progression scheme allows our team members to grow and develop into their roles.

But beyond that, Breakthrough is a unique, special place to work. Being part of our team means you're making a genuine difference to the lives of people living with breast cancer. Breakthrough is a force for change, and everyone who works here takes us a step closer to achieving the vision that underpins all of our work, a world freed from breast cancer.

Catherine Devitt is director of people and organisation development at Breakthrough Breast Cancer

For more information about our benefits and vacancies please visit Breakthrough's careers page. If you would like to attend the careers open day please email openday@breakthrough.org.uk

This content is produced and funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer

View the original article here

Seeking ways to effectively control bacteria in the water supply

Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Also Included In: Public Health;  Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 15 Aug 2013 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Seeking ways to effectively control bacteria in the water supply

Research at the University of Sheffield, published in the latest issue of Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, points the way to more sophisticated and targeted methods of ensuring our drinking water remains safe to drink, while still reducing the need for chemical treatments and identifying potential hazards more quickly.

The research team, from the University of Sheffield's Faculty of Engineering, studied four bacteria found in the city's drinking water to see which combinations were more likely to produce a 'biofilm'. Biofilms are layers of bacteria which form on the inner surfaces of water pipes.

"Biofilms can form on all water pipes and as these are usually non-harmful bacteria, they don't present a problem," explains lead researcher, Professor Catherine Biggs. "However, biofilms can also be a safe place for harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli or Legionella to hide. If the bacterial growth is too heavy, it can break off into the water flow, which at best can make water discoloured or taste unpleasant and at worst can release more dangerous bacteria. Our research looks at what conditions enable biofilms to grow, so we can find ways to control the bacteria in our water supply more effectively."

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the research isolated four bacteria from water taken from a domestic tap: two were widely found in drinking water everywhere, one was less common and one was unique to Sheffield. The researchers mixed the bacteria in different combinations and found that, in isolation, none of them produced a biofilm. However, when any of the bacteria were combined with one of the common forms, called Methylobacterium, they formed a biofilm within 72 hours.

"Our findings show that this bacterium is acting as a bridge, enabling other bacteria to attach to surfaces and produce a biofilm and it's likely that it's not the only one that plays this role," says Professor Biggs. "This means it should be possible to control or even prevent the creation of biofilms in the water supply by targeting these particular bacteria, potentially reducing the need for high dosage chemical treatments."

Domestic water supplies in the UK are regularly tested for levels of bacteria and, if these are too high, water is treated with greater concentrations of chlorine or pipe networks are flushed through to clear the problem. However, the standard tests look for indicator organisms rather than the individual types which are present. Testing methods being developed by the Sheffield team - as used in this research - involve DNA analysis to identify the specific types of bacteria present.

"The way we currently maintain clean water supplies is a little like using antibiotics without knowing what infection we're treating," says Professor Biggs. "Although it's effective, it requires extensive use of chemicals or can put water supplies out of use to consumers for a period of time. Current testing methods also take time to produce results, while the bacteria are cultured from the samples taken.

"The DNA testing we're developing will provide a fast and more sophisticated alternative, allowing water companies to fine tune their responses to the exact bacteria they find in the water system."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our water - air quality / agriculture section for the latest news on this subject.

Bacteriological water quality compliance and root cause analysis: an industry case study

Kate Ellis, Bernadette Ryan, Michael R. Templeton and Catherine A. Biggs; Water Science & Technology: Water Supply Vol 13 No 4 pp 1034-1045 © IWA Publishing 2013 doi:10.2166/ws.2013.092

University of Sheffield

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Seeking a clinical test for breast cancer

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 14 Aug 2013 - 1:00 PDT
Current ratings for:
Seeking a clinical test for breast cancer

An international scientific collaborative led by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute's Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD, has discovered why women who give birth in their early twenties are less likely to eventually develop breast cancer than women who don't, triggering a search for a way to confer this protective state on all women.

The researchers now are in the process of testing p27, a mammary gland progenitor marker, in the tissue of thousands of women collected over a 20-year period - women whose histories have been followed extremely closely - to see if it is an accurate breast cancer predictor in a large population of women. If the hypothesis is confirmed, likely within a few months, Polyak says the commercial development of a clinical test for breast cancer risk would follow.

In a paper just published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the researchers describe how a full-term pregnancy in a woman's early twenties reduces the relative number and proliferative capacity of mammary gland progenitors - cells that have the ability to divide into milk-producing cells - making them less likely to acquire mutations that lead to cancer.

By comparing numerous breast tissue samples, the scientists found that women at high risk for breast cancer, such as those who inherit a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, have higher-than-average numbers of mammary gland progenitors. In general, women who carried a child to full term had the lowest populations of mammary gland progenitors, even when compared to cancer-free women who had never been pregnant. In addition, in woman who gave birth relatively early, but later still developed breast cancer, the number of mammary gland progenitors were again observed to be higher than average.

"The reason we are excited about this research is that we can use a progenitor cell census to determine who's at particularly high risk for breast cancer," said Polyak, a Harvard Stem Cell Institute Principal Faculty member and Harvard Medical School professor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "We could use this strategy to decrease cancer risk because we know what regulates the proliferation of these cells and we could deplete them from the breast."

Research shows that two trends are contributing to an increase in the number of breast cancer diagnoses - a rise in obesity and the ever-increasing number of women postponing child bearing. The scientists' long-range goal is to develop a protective treatment that would mimic the protective effects of early child bearing.

The research, which took five years to complete, began with conversations between Polyak and John Hopkins University School of Medicine Professor Saraswati Sukumar, PhD. The two scientists formed collaborations with clinicians at cancer centers that see large numbers of high-risk women in order to obtain breast tissue samples. They also worked with genomics experts and bioinformaticians to analyze gene expression in different breast cell types. At times, Polyak and Sukumar had trouble convincing others to help with the study, which is unique in the breast cancer field for its focus on risk prediction and prevention.

"In general people who study cancer always want to focus on treating the cancer but in reality, preventing cancer can have the biggest impact on cancer-associated morbidity and mortality," Polyak said. "I think the mentality has to change because breast cancer affects so many women, and even though many of them are not dying of breast cancer, there's a significant personal and societal burden."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our breast cancer section for the latest news on this subject.

Members of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Coimbra University Hospital, Thomson Reuters Healthcare & Science, NICTA Victoria Research Laboratory, University of Melbourne, University of Oslo, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute, Baylor-Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, St. Vincent’s Institute, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre contributed to this research.

The main supporter of this research was the Avon Foundation, with additional contributions by the National Cancer Institute, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Terri Brodeur Foundation, the US Army Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium, the St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Research Endowment Fund, the Victorian Government’s OIS Program, the Programme for Advanced Medical Education, and the Cellex Foundation.

Harvard University

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Gender gap in stroke treatment likely due to delay by women seeking care

Main Category: Stroke
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 29 Jul 2013 - 0:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Gender gap in stroke treatment likely due to delay by women seeking care

Women with clot-caused strokes are less likely than men to arrive at the hospital in time to receive the best treatment, according to a European study reported in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.

In the study, 11 percent of women with acute ischemic strokes were treated with the clot-dissolving medication alteplase, compared with 14 percent of men. Study participants included 5,515 patients at 12 hospitals in the Netherlands.

Researchers found no gender gap when they looked only at patients who arrived at the hospital within four hours of the onset of symptoms in this study. Forty-two percent of men and women arriving within the four-hour window received alteplase.

"Our study showed that women in the Netherlands were treated just as often with thrombolytic agents as men once they arrived in time for treatment," said Inger de Ridder, M.D., lead author of the study and AIOS Resident of Neurology at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The gender gap in treatment may be due to delays in getting to the hospital, researchers said. Women arrived at the hospital an average 27 minutes later than men, and a smaller percentage of women (27 percent) than men (33 percent) arrived at the hospital within the four-hour window.

Furthermore, women in the study were an average four years older and may consequently have been more likely to live alone, which would make it more difficult to summon help. Stroke severity was similar for men and women.

"More education about stroke symptoms is needed, and also more research to find out why women arrive later at the hospital," de Ridder said.

The findings may also apply to patients in the United States, researchers said.

Stroke symptoms include: drooping or numbness in the face; weakness or numbness in the arms; and speech difficulty. Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death and the leading preventable cause of disability in the United States.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our stroke section for the latest news on this subject.

Unequal Access to Treatment With Intravenous Alteplase for Women With Acute Ischemic Stroke, Inger de Ridder, MD, Maaike Dirks, MD, PhD, Louis Niessen, MD, PhD, Diederik Dippel, MD, PhD and on behalf of the PRACTISE Investigators, Published online before print July 25, 2013, doi: 10.1161/?STROKEAHA.113.002263

Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development funded the study.

American Heart Association

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