Log In

Studying metastatic breast cancer

Published 11 hours ago2 minute read

This guest essay reflects the views of Emma Courtney, a graduate student at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. It is part of a series of essays from current post-graduate students at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory who are deeply worried that that cuts to federal funding for medical research will slow progress on finding cures for diseases and discourage young scientists from pursuing their careers in science.

Long Island is home to one of the nation’s known breast cancer clusters — areas with higher-than-average breast cancer rates. For many in our community, breast cancer is a deeply personal and ongoing reality that affects patients, families, and caregivers.

At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, under the mentorship of Camila dos Santos, associate professor and co-leader of the Cancer Center Program, I study breast cancer in a way that reflects the full complexity of people’s lives. My research focuses on metastasis, the spread of cancer to other parts of the body, which is the leading cause of breast cancer deaths. I investigate how common life events, like pregnancy or urinary tract infections, can influence how breast cancer spreads and whether these events might cause cancer to return after treatment. Unlike many other cancers, breast cancer can come back years, even decades, after treatment. Through this work, I hope to find better ways to prevent cancer spread and recurrence and to develop treatments that truly address the whole patient.

But this kind of research, and the hope it brings, is only possible through public investment in science. I’m proud to be supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, one of the longest-running STEM fellowships in the country. My lab’s work is also supported by the National Institutes of Health. Without funding from these agencies, funding that is now at risk, my research would not exist.

When we fund science, we invest in healthier futures for our communities and work together toward a future without cancer. For places like Long Island, where the stakes are especially high, that investment is not just important — it’s essential.

This guest essay reflects the views of Emma Courtney, a graduate student at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Origin:
publisher logo
Newsday
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

You may also like...