The Puzzle Project
This project has developed into a new campaign called Answers Wanted.
“I would have screamed bloody murder had I known years ago when I had breast cancer how poorly coordinated funding and research on this killer disease is.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich, in an e-mail to breast cancer activists
Over 30 federal agencies and dozens of foundations, pharmaceutical and biotech companies are conducting or funding research, but few—if any—are working together. Despite all the research being conducted, and all the funds raised, we don’t know how much money is actually raised each year, how much is being spent, and where all the dollars are going. Without coordination of funding, money is being wasted. Worse, time is being wasted, as a woman is now diagnosed with breast cancer every 2.5 minutes in the U.S. If we want to make real progress, we need to take a new approach. Breast Cancer Action is working to do just that. Join us in taking action to save women’s lives.
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Research Funders Respond to Puzzle Project Campaign
The three research funders who have responded to the Puzzle Project told us they are each taking specific action to coordinate breast cancer research. Some of the actions they describe are more about research documentation than coordination. Also, notice that each organization mentions a different project, which clearly points to the fact that they are not working together to coordinate the research:
- Susan G. Komen Foundation: working with a collaborative group of funding organizations for more than three years to create a powerful tool to aid in cancer research collaboration and planning. One product of the partnership is the International Cancer Research Partners.
- American Cancer Society: currently collaborating with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences on the Sister Study.
- National Cancer Institute: established the Breast Cancer Progress Review Group (PRG) to help define a national research agenda for breast cancer and an internal NCI Breast Cancer Working Group was convened to assess the progress made since the release of the 1998 PRG report.
Read Responses from the Research Funders
- Susan G. Komen Foundation—email response to the Puzzle Project campaign
- American Cancer Society—email response to the Puzzle Project campaign
- National Cancer Institute—email response the the Puzzle Project campaign
Have you received these replies from Komen, the ACS and the NCI? Are you satisfied with their answers? Here’s how BCA responded:
- BCA’s Response to the Komen Foundation email
- BCA’s Response to the American Cancer Society email
- BCA’s Response to the National Cancer Institute email
Take further action! Answer the research funders! Tell them you received their reply, and that we still need them to get it together.