It’s thought that turning on the androgen receptor in some oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers could help stop tumour growth. Dr Violeta Serra is investigating this theory further and is testing whether the androgen receptor could be a new treatment target.

Palbociclib is a drug given to people with secondary, oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer to help manage their disease. Dr Saskia Wilting is trying to find out who will benefit from taking this drug and why some cancers do not respond to it.

Professor Aleix Prat is investigating why some oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers become resistant to treatment. He is looking at whether combining drugs could enhance treatment effectiveness, giving people the best possible chance of survival.

Lobular breast cancer can be more difficult to treat than some other types of breast cancer. Dr Patrick Derksen is looking at whether combinations of palbociclib and gedatolisib could stop this type of breast cancer progressing, giving women the best possible chance of survival.

PARP inhibitors are a new class of drugs that work well for patients who have changes in their BRCA genes. Professor Claudio Sette and his team want to understand more about how these drugs work and whether they could benefit more patients with triple negative breast cancer.

Professor Agnes Noel is testing combinations of drugs that stop two different proteins from working to see if they offer potential as a future treatment for patients with triple negative breast cancer.