Rays of Hope breast research registry hits 1,000 participants

D. Joseph Jerry, a UMass- Amherst professor and science director of the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, and Dr. Grace Makari-Judson are co-directors of the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research.(Anne-Gerard Flynn photo)

SPRINGFIELD - D. Joseph Jerry and Dr. Grace Makari-Judson, co-directors of the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research, held a party Friday noon at the D'Amour Center for Cancer Care.

Its celebrants reached far beyond the crowded room that included physicians, researchers, nurses and support staff and advocates.

The occasion marked the fact that the Rays of Hope Breast Research Registry started in 2011 by Jerry, a UMass- Amherst professor and science director of the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, and Makari-Judson, an oncologist, now has more than 1,000 participants.

The registry is a confidential depository of information, including tissue samples, related to the diagnosis and treatment of individual participants with breast cancer and other breast problems.

Allowing researchers access to such information could provide the answer to such questions as why different patients with the same cancer respond differently to the same treatments.

Both Jerry and Makari-Judson outlined the arduous task of setting up the registry, approaching participants for permission and ensuring digital information is stored confidentially and thank the many people present who helped and continue to be involved in its ongoing growth.

"It is an incredible collaboration and really demonstrates the teamwork that we have going across Baystate, the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute and UMass-Amherst to take this to the next level," said Makari-Judson of the registry topping more than 1,000 participants.

"We have a unique resource that includes fresh and fixed tissue of both tumor and normal tissues that can be used as a resource linked to clinical information for research. So, both for clinical, translational (turning observations into interventions) and basic science and research purposes."

She added, "A lot of these cell lines are in one particular type of cancer but because of the fact that we have over 300 we can better understand the diversity of cancer and how it is different in the individual."

"That is why the idea is to do a portrait of women in Massachusetts," said Makari Judson, standing in front of a poster display of photos from the annual Rays of Hope - Walk & Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer.

"We are looking at things beyond what has been looked at. This is just in the beginning of collecting and collecting and collecting, but we are hoping that for the patient this will lead us to the next step in understanding why breast cancer in this woman is different from breast cancer in this woman. Why did this individual develop breast cancer and this one did not?"

"Ultimately," she added, "the goals are going to be for prevention and really understanding how to personalize treatment."

Makari-Johnson said the registry, sponsored by the Rays of Hope Center which receives funds from the annual Rays of Hope Walk, was the first of its kind to be initiated at Baystate seven years ago and is opened to both men and women.

She called the registry's "large amount of fresh tissue and the fact it links to fresh tissue" a "unique" resource that is sparking interest for collaborative projects outside the Baystate Regional Cancer Program.

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