Advancing Breast Cancer Research
The mission of the Catherine Peachey Fund is to promote advances in breast cancer research and treatment. We provide financial support to research and programs that we believe are best positioned to move from the bench to the clinic, and impact patient clinical outcomes.
The Catherine Peachey Fund has provided nearly $4 million dollars to breast cancer research and programs in Indiana, making a global impact.
The fund is unique in its efficient funding process and is fully staffed by volunteers. We operate at near zero operating costs so that all funds raised go directly to research.
Current Projects
The Catherine Peachey Fund has invested nearly $4 million to breast cancer research and projects in Indiana.
$34,000: Komen Tissue Bank Collaboration with Research Jam
Led by Kathi Ridley-Merriweather, PhD
Although males are not considered a minority population in the broad sense, their inclusion in breast cancer research is still in its infancy. Recruitment of men both for breast cancer research and tissue samples will benefit from specialized research and targeted approaches. Research Jam will conduct focus groups and create recruitment materials.
$25,000: Cancer Interception Strategies for Black Women
Led by Tarah Ballinger, MD
To improve breast cancer risk knowledge and receipt of prevention services in our highest risk population - young, Black women - additional support infrastructure is needed at the system level. Rather than relying on minority women to access services themselves, researchers will use lay navigators from the community to bring those services to them. They will conduct a hybrid study of the early implementation and clinical effectiveness of this strategy that will be poised to change practice.
$20,000: Therapeutic Resistance Research
Led by Elizabeth Yeh, PhD, IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Therapeutic resistance is a critical issue in treatment, especially with more aggressive forms of breast cancer such as Her2+. Some patients benefit from the use of therapies such as HER2 inhibitors but many fail therapy and almost all HER2+ patients become resistant to treatment, indicating a critical, unmet need to prevent treatment failure. The research will investigate two different methods for delivering a therapeutic agent which targets Connexin 43 and reestablishes these intercellular communications. The study will be the first to use pharmacological methods with Connexin 43 and could help determine the best delivery method.
