Important breast cancer research has been carried out in Iceland. Helga M. Ögmundsdóttir, Professor at the University of Iceland, has carried out research in this field for two decades at the Icelandic Cancer Society’s research laboratory in molecular- and cell biology. The laboratory operations were transferred to the University of Iceland Faculty of Medicine, starting early 2007.
Helga recently received a grant for exceptional performance in cancer research. "By growing cancer cells straight from a tumour one can gather better information on the nature and behaviour of the cancer in the respective individual," says Helga M. Ögmundsdóttir. "Following this we have developed techniques to create so-called cell lines from breast tumours, which bear a special Icelandic mutation in a breast cancer risk gene. We are using these cell lines to test next medication. There are medications or offshoots, which we have good reason to believe may be especially effective in tumours that are defective in this risk gene."
According to Helga, it can be expected that the medications, which have been tested in this manner in laboratories, will have a significant impact on the recovery prospects of diagnosed individual. In Iceland nearly 150 women and two to three men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
