Research at Mater
Working towards a future with personalised treatment for all breast cancer patients
Breast cancer treatment has made remarkable progress, giving more women better treatment options and hope for the future. But there is still much to learn about why some treatments work for some women and not others.
At Mater Research, Dr Jodi Saunus is working to understand this challenge – why some breast cancers respond well to chemotherapy, while others become resistant and return.
Her research focuses particularly on aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of breast cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer. By studying tumour samples and looking closely at the biological characteristics of these cancers, Jodi is working to identify biomarkers that could help predict how a patient is likely to respond to treatment.
She is also investigating new approaches to treating metastatic breast cancer, including innovative therapies for breast cancer that has spread to the brain.
The goal is to better understand the unique characteristics of each patient’s cancer and, ultimately, help clinicians make more informed decisions about treatment.
This is the goal of precision oncology – moving towards a future where breast cancer treatment is more personalised, more effective and gives women the best possible chance of a better outcome.
With the support of donors, researchers like Dr Saunus can continue asking important questions, exploring new possibilities and working towards discoveries that could change the way breast cancer is treated in the future.
