Postpartum breast cancer research requires 2,000 breast milk donors

Breastfeeding mothers need to donate breast milk. This is the call made Maimonides Institute of Biomedical Research in Cordoba (Imibic) for one of his most ambitious studies: identify biomarkers in milk that allow early detection of so-called postpartum breast cancerwhich appears up to 10 years after becoming a mother.

Under the name Hera ProjectImibic’s goal is to research this type of breast cancer, which Usually appears in women who become mothers at a later age.. To do this, they need breast milk, in which they need to look for biomarkers that allow timely diagnosis of the disease. Imibic estimates it needs milk from about 2,000 women for this study, according to Juan de la Haba, the project’s principal investigator.

It’s about defining possible connection between pregnancy and breastfeeding and the development of this type of postpartum cancer, which affects 60% of women under the age of 45 diagnosed with breast cancer. In the province of Cordoba, between 80 and 100 cases are detected per year.

Purpose of research on imibics progress in identifying risk groups and for this they need the cooperation of nursing mothers. Those interested can obtain additional information at Hera project website.