Aneja Receives Grant For Breast Cancer Research

ATLANTA—Ritu Aneja, professor of biology, has received a $50,000 grant from It’s the Journey in partnership with Georgia CORE to continue her research on breast cancer.

The first installment of the grant was awarded at the dinner held for the walkers after the Georgia 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer at the Marriot. Everyone that attended was wearing hot pink pajamas.

Aneja’s research focuses on understanding racial disparities related to breast cancer. She is specifically interested in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is an aggressive form of breast cancer that disproportionately affects African-American women.

The subtypes of breast cancer are generally diagnosed by the presence, or lack of, three chemical “receptors” known to fuel most breast cancers. The most successful treatments target these receptors.

TNBC tumors do not have any of these receptors, which make treatment more difficult. Aneja plans to use the grant money to seek new treatment strategies for TNBC.

It’s the Journey and Georgia CORE teamed up to provide $175,000 to recognize Georgia-based organizations with new, creative ideas that may advance progress toward detecting, treating or curing breast cancer.

It’s the Journey is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 that raises funds for Georgia breast cancer organizations offering support to many people across the state. The Georgia 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer was produced through this organization.

Georgia CORE, founded in 2003, is a public-private partnership dedicated to providing better treatment and higher caliber of care by uniting experts, healthcare, and other cancer-fighting organizations.

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