The Orla Byrne PHD Scholarship
To mark World Cancer Day on 4 th February, Breast Cancer Ireland has announced it’s funding of The Orla Byrne PHD Scholarship, awarded to student Louise Watson at RCSI – a four-year study into understanding key regulatory networks in breast cancer brain metastases.
Orla Byrne was a much-loved Patient Ambassador for Breast Cancer Ireland for many years, and an Outreach & Education Coordinator, who sadly passed away from metastatic breast cancer in November 2021 aged just 42.
Louise’s project at Breast Cancer Ireland’s research centre in the RCSI is investigating how breast cancer moves into the brain.
“I am focused on looking at how the cells undertake that process; how they adapt to their new environment and communicate within their new environment and what is the cause of them migrating. Also, more specifically, what are the genes involved in that process.”
BCI has just launched #MetastaticMatters, a campaign focusing on those living with metastatic breast cancer. It aims to highlight the symptoms of metastatic disease and to increase understanding of how and why this occurs.
