The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will not recommend a drug called T-DM1 (Kadcyla) which is used to treat a type of secondary breast cancer for use on the NHS.
The collaboration, called the international PALB2 Interest Group, have been investigating the impact of a faulty PALB2 gene on breast cancer risk. Their study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that women who carried rare mutations to the PALB2 gene were found to be more at risk of breast cancer than the general population. Importantly, the level of risk associated with these mutations was influenced by a woman’s family history of breast cancer.
What sets a scientist apart from the rest of the pack? I would suggest that timing plays a part, but I also have no doubt that you need to be innovative, diligent and dedicated to the cause in order to make the most out of the opportunities presented to you during your career.