The vision of the DOD BCRP is to “eradicate breast cancer by funding innovative, high-impact research through a partnership of scientists and consumers.” The meaningful and unprecedented partnership of scientists and consumers has been the foundation of this model program from the very beginning. It is important to understand this collaboration: consumers and scientists working side by side, asking the difficult questions, bringing the vision of the program to life, challenging researchers and the public to do what is needed and then overseeing the process every step of the way to make certain it works. 

This unique collaboration is successful: every year researchers submit proposals that reach the highest level asked of them by the program and every year we make progress for women and men everywhere. The program owes its success to the dedication of the US Army and their belief and support of this mission, to the Members of Congress who support the program through continued funding, and to the scientists and consumers who participate. It is these integrated efforts that make this program unique.

The BCRP has established itself as a model medical research program, respected throughout the cancer and broader medical community for its innovative, transparent and accountable approach. It is incredibly streamlined. The program’s flexibility has allowed the Army to administer it with unparalleled efficiency and effectiveness. Because there is little bureaucracy, it is able to respond quickly to what is currently happening in the research community. Because of its specific focus on breast cancer, it is able to rapidly support innovative proposals that reflect the most recent discoveries in the field.  It is responsive, not just to the scientific community, but also to the public. 

The pioneering research performed through the program and the unique vision it maintains has the potential to benefit not just breast cancer, but all cancers as well as other diseases. Biomedical research is literally being transformed by the DOD BCRP’s success. 

The DOD BCRP has grown from a small research program to a far-reaching, influential model that has changed the world of breast cancer research. It has expedited progress in breast cancer research and has become a model that other research programs have sought to replicate. Three of its most unique features are:

(1) Consumer advocates play an integral role in the review system. Educated, trained consumer advocates and scientists participate in a two-tiered process during which research proposals are reviewed first for scientific quality and then for programmatic relevance. The IOM’s review and other independent researchers have commended the involvement of consumer advocates in all aspects of priority setting and the peer-review process. Scientists who participate in the Program agree that working with the advocates has changed the way they do science. Greg Hannon, the FY10 DOD BCRP Integration Panel Chair recently said:

The most important aspect of being a part of the BCRP, for me, has been the interaction with consumer advocates. They have currently affected the way that I think about breast cancer, but they have also impacted the way that I do science more generally. They are a constant reminder that our goal should be to impact people’s lives.--Greg Hannon, PhD, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

(2) Non-traditional grant mechanisms have been developed in this competitive, peer-reviewed research Program. For example, Innovative Developmental and Exploratory Award (IDEA) grants stimulate and reward high risk but especially promising ideas. Creative, visionary researchers can receive support early in their careers through the Era of Hope Scholar grants and more experienced researchers through Innovator Awards. The Program also funds translational research and creates unprecedented models for collaborative multidisciplinary science.

(3) Researchers must report their results at public meetings. At these “Era of Hope” meetings scientists, consumers, policy-makers and the public hear the progress made in breast cancer research through this Program. Investigators from different fields come together to share knowledge and ideas, resulting in novel approaches to difficult research problems.

The Institue of Medicine reveiwed the DOD BCRP in 1997 and 2004 finding its “performance has met with the approval of scientists, the satisfaction of legislators and their constituents, pride on the part of the program’s administrators and results.” Congress has also validated the program repeatedly, including report langauge to accompany its DOD Apporpriations bills verifying the program’s success and recommending its continuation. 

There are three million women living with breast cancer in this country today. This year, nearly 40,000 will die of the disease and more than 260,000 will be diagnosed.  We still do not know how to prevent breast cancer, how to diagnose it and make a real difference or how to cure it.  It is an incredibly complex disease. We simply cannot afford to walk away from this program.


Action Requested

NBCC asks Senators and Representatives to urge the Defense Appropriations Subcommittees to include $150 million in the Department of Defense (DOD) bill to fund the DOD peer-reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program in FY 2011. 

NBCC applauds the 174 Members of the House of Representatives and 49 Senators who signed on to the letter supporting this amount.  We are grateful for the leadership of Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) who sponsored the letter in the House. And for Senators Harkin (D-IA), Snowe (R-ME), Specter (D-PA) and Collins (R-ME) who sponsored the letter in the Senate. While NBCC appreciates the continued bipartisan support for this program, the Coalition was disappointed in Members who did not sign the letter this year. This letter specifically, and the broad support it demonstrates to Members of the Defense Appropriations Committee, has been an important tool for continuing to maintain this critical program.