South Dakota Researchers Testing A Diabetes Drug to Fight Breast Cancer with Funds From Susan G Komen For the Cure

World’s Largest Breast Cancer Organization Investing More Than $1.1 Million into South Dakota’s Economy for Research and Community Programs

(Sioux Falls, SD) – July 20, 2010 – Scientists from Sanford Research/USD will see whether the drug metformin, used to treat everything from obesity to diabetes, can be used to fight breast cancer, with funding announced today by Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world’s largest breast cancer organization.

The nearly $600,000 grant is part of a $59 million portfolio of 2010 research grants that Komen for the Cure is investing with scientists worldwide to find the cures for breast cancer and to end the disease.

“We’ve made huge progress in 30 years, but we have a tremendous urgency to discover and deliver more effective treatments as we work to end breast cancer forever,” said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “Research like this may get us to those answers sooner.”

The Sanford Research/USD researchers will study metformin’s effectiveness as a breast cancer-fighting drug either alone or in combination with other drugs. Scientists say if the medicine does prove successful in animal testing, it could reach clinical trials faster than usual because it already is a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

“Komen’s infusion of millions of dollars into research projects means that promising research that is designed to treat and ultimately eradicate breast cancer will continue,” said Eric Winer, M.D., Komen’s chief scientific advisor.

Komen by the Numbers in South Dakota:

  • Since 2009, Komen has awarded $450,000 in research in South Dakota, and more than $450 million worldwide since Komen was founded in 1982.
  • In addition to research funding, since its creation in 2005 Komen’s South Dakota Affiliate has invested nearly $740,000 in throughout the state for early detection and treatment programs, breast health education and outreach.
  • Nationwide, Komen Affiliates invested a total of $130 million in their local communities in 2010.
  • Since 1982, Komen has awarded more than $900 million to community education and support programs worldwide.

Below is the local institution, the researcher and the projects Komen is funding this year, pending agreements:

Sanford Research/University of South Dakota
*W. Keith Miskimins,PhD $590,497 – Targeting Metabolic Processes in Breast Cancer Cells

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested more than $1.5 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.


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