In Partnership with Pelotonia & AACR. This new scientific award recognizes the work and outstanding contributions of five prominent and influential female researchers to the fundamental understanding, prevention or treatment of breast or any form of gynaecologic cancers.
Each of the five awardees received a prize amounting to $100,000. Moreover, they will be invited to nominate 3 to 5 outstanding early-stage investigators to be considered for a broader cancer research grant programme funded by The Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers and administered by the AACR and Pelotonia, and for which they will serve as mentors.
“I’m grateful for this prize, which will support important research. We have definitely come a long way. Most women with early breast cancer are now able to get through it because they receive increasingly targeted treatments. However, the disease is not yet under control. It’s our duty to continue carrying out research, in particular for advanced or rare forms of the disease. It’s vital, patients need us,” says Dr Martine Piccart.
Dr Piccart founded the Breast International Group (BIG) together with Dr Aron Goldhirsch in 1999. She is currently President of BIG against Breast Cancer, the philanthropy unit of BIG, and Scientific Director at the Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium.
Since the creation of BIG, more than 50 trials have been run under the BIG umbrella, including numerous landmark trials that have had a real impact on breast cancer treatments and the lives of patients affected by the disease.
Today BIG represents a network of over 50 like-minded research groups from around the world. These entities are tied to several thousand specialised hospitals, research centres and world-class breast cancer experts across approximately 70 countries on 6 continents.
