Critical breast cancer research disrupted by ongoing lockdowns - Expert

Auckland research laboratories need to reopen immediately to allow the completion of vital cancer research according to a leading expert.

New Zealand has the highest incidence of breast cancer in the world alongside Australia, with 3,500 women and 25 men diagnosed annually.

Professor Andrew Shelling, head of Auckland University’s Medical Genetics Research Group, says the disruption from COVID-19 lockdowns on research workflows has been widespread.

“Research has been stopped and we’ve been shut out of our laboratories for the past three months and this will have a devastating impact on breast cancer research, procedures and outcomes.

“We have had to destroy some tissue samples and cells from breast tissue which is vital to our ongoing research, at the same time we’ve also been unable to collect samples from women with breast cancer.

“We are obviously frustrated, as scientists we are used to working in safe and controlled environments, schools have gone back but we’re unable to access our research. We need to have an immediate relaxation of regulations around access to university laboratories.

“While researchers in other countries have continued their work, we now find ourselves falling behind the rest of the world,” he says.\

Professor Shelling says along with the impact on research, the laboratory lock-outs have meant that Honours, Masters, PhD students, Research Fellows, have all had their education negatively impacted.

Breast Cancer Cure has funded almost $11 million in breast cancer research, CEO Sonja de Mari, says the charity’s event funding mechanism has also been disrupted due to COVID-19.

“A normal year of fundraising would see us raise close to a million dollars, which goes towards a wide range of breast cancer research projects in New Zealand.

“Since the pandemic began, we estimate our accumulated fundraising losses will be over $400,000 - these are critical funds needed to advance scientific understanding of the disease,” she says.

de Mari says a new campaign has launched to help provide urgent funding for breast cancer research with Kiwis being asked to text BFF to 5338 to donate $3 to the Breast Cancer Cure charity, take a screenshot of their text donation and share it on social media to encourage others to support the initiative.

For more information on the Breast Friends Forever campaign visit https://www.breastcancercure.org.nz/donate