Dr Emma Nolan was part of a team in Victoria, Australia, that looked into the positive effect an osteoporosis drug could have on breast cancer in women with the harmful BRCA gene.
Since returning to New Zealand she's set up a team at Auckland University which is collecting tissue samples with the aim of setting up lab models that mimic the breast environment. The research is funded by Breast Cancer Cure.
The tumour samples are grown on gelatine-coated sponges, with various drugs tested to see what it does to the cancer cells - which in time, could be used to assess how a patient might respond to a particular treatment.
She talks to Kathryn about the implications of the research.
Photo: Pixabay, supplied
