1 of 8
Photo by Jon Anderson
Beth Davis, president and CEO of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, reveals the total dollar value of grants given out in 2023 during an event at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.
2 of 8
Photo by Jon Anderson
Dr. Anna Sorace from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, talks with Morgan Cole and Dr. Joel Berry about her breast cancer research at UAB during a Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama event at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.
3 of 8
Photo by Jon Anderson
Members of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama board of directors pose for a photo with foundation president and CEO Beth Davis at a BCRFA event at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The nonprofit gave out $1.25 million in grants in 2023.
4 of 8
Photo by Jon Anderson
Dr. Barry Sleckman, director of the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, speaks during a Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama event at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.
5 of 8
Photo by Jon Anderson
Beth Davis, president and CEO of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, reveals the total dollar value of grants given out in 2023 during an event at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.
6 of 8
Photo by Jon Anderson
Dr. Anindya Dutta of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, center, talks with Dr. Deepa Bedi from Tuskegee University about breast cancer research by him and Dr. Divya Sahu, left, during a Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama event at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.
7 of 8
Photo by Jon Anderson
Brian Grainger, chairman of the board for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, speaks during a BCRFA event at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.
8 of 8
Photo by Jon Anderson
Beth Davis, president and CEO of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, third from left, poses with researchers receiving grants from the BCRFA at a BCRFA event at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. Others pictured are, from left, Dr. Seema Singh, Dr. Karim Budhwani and Dr. Ajay Singh.
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama on Friday announced that the organization in 2023 awarded $1.25 million in grants for 35 research projects across the state.
Those grants are covering research this year and next year at eight institutions in Alabama, including the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, CerFlux (in Birmingham), Alabama State University, Auburn University, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology (in Huntsville), Tuskegee University, the University of Alabama and Mitchell Cancer Institute at the University of South Alabama.
That money often is used as seed money for early-stage studies to help researchers gather data that can be used to attract larger grants from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Defense and National Cancer Institute, said Beth Davis, president and CEO of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama.
The average return on investment is $14 for every $1 of grant money awarded by the BCRFA, Davis said.
With this year’s awards, the BCRFA now has given out at total of $15 million in grants since the organization’s founding in 1996, she said.
“Since 1996, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama has funded the most promising research within our state,” Davis said. “Each of the projects we support are expert-reviewed to make sure we’re investing your dollars in solid science that will lead to new discoveries and much better patient outcomes.”
The money comes in a variety of ways, Davis said.
The foundation this year received $580,000 from the breast cancer research specialty license plates that go on cars, trucks, motorcycles and boats, she said. The license plate costs an extra $50, and the BCRFA gets $41.25 of that, she said.
The nonprofit also raised $425,000 with a variety of events throughout the year, including the Pink Palace Casino Night at the Soiree Event Gallery in Hoover, two CahabaQue BBQ Cook-Offs at Cahaba Brewing Co. in Birmingham and Drive-Out Breast Cancer Golf Tournament at Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills.
More than $200,000 was raised by different organizations and businesses with fundraisers during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, including $50,000 from Magna International and Kamtek, almost $32,000 from Wind Creek Wetumpka, more than $22,000 from Renasant Bank branches across the state, $20,000 from ARC Realty offices across the state and $20,000 from fire departments across Alabama, Davis said.
While October is a focus month for fundraising, events and activities take place throughout the year, she said. This coming Wednesday, Dec. 20, $1 from every ticket sold to two Trans-Siberian Orchestra concerts at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex will be donated to the BCRFA.
The 2023 grant total announcement was made Friday at a luncheon at The Club in Birmingham, attended by donors, fundraisers, volunteers and researchers.
“While breast cancer remains the second most common cancer among women, the landscape has shifted significantly,” Davis said. “Thanks to early detection methods and advanced methods in treatments, … there are 3.8 million breast cancer survivors just in the United States. Research saves lives. Early detection saves lives. Diagnostic tools — everything joining forces. … Each of you has played a big role in funding research that is making a difference.”
Brian Grainger, chairman of the board for the BCRFA, said the collective commitment and passion of so many people is providing funding for groundbreaking research and impacting more and more lives.
He noted that all the money raised in Alabama funds research taking place in Alabama.
“These numbers aren’t mere figures,” Grainger said. “They represent hope and progress and the promise for a brighter future for those affected by breast cancer.”
Dr. Barry Sleckman, director of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, said there still are a lot of unanswered questions regarding breast cancer, and he doesn’t believe any of the most important questions will be answered by a single investigator. It’s going to take teams of investigators with different specialties working together, he said.
The BRCFA is helping make that happen by bringing different kinds of researchers together, including some who have never done research involving breast cancer, Sleckman said.
For example, Dr. Sofia Beas, a neuroscientist who mostly studies motivational behavior, particularly with drug addiction, does cognitive tests on mice to analyze their ability to perform certain tasks based on the presence or absence of certain drugs, Sleckman said.
Her father had multiple myeloma, another type of cancer, and dealt with memory loss and an inability to have normal cognitive functions during and after treatment, Sleckman said. That kind of “brain fog” or “chemo brain” is a common side effect of various cancer treatments, including breast cancer, he said.
Her father’s experience motivated her to think about how her work might could be beneficial in cancer research, Sleckman said. Beas, who has never done cancer research, believes her research methods can be used to better examine the impact of chemotherapy on the brains of people with cancer, he said. So she is partnering with Dr. Lalita Shevde-Samant, who has done breast cancer research, and Dr. Jonathan McConathy, a cancer imaging researcher, to conduct new studies.
If Beas applied for a cancer research grant from the National Institutes of Health, she likely wouldn’t get it because of her lack of experience in that field, even though she is highly skilled and has an exquisite experimental plan, Sleckman said.
But the BCRFA is providing seed money to help that team conduct early studies that could provide data to get larger grants, he said.
Grainger thanked all the people who have donated money, volunteered and worked on research projects.
“Your investment in the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama is a lifeline — a beacon of hope for individuals battling this disease,” he said. “Your generosity fuels our process, inspiring our endeavors and bringing us closer to a future where the pain and suffering caused by breast cancer is just a distant echo.”
