Researchers Team Up with Patients to Build a Breast Cancer Database

Combining genomic, clinical, and patient-reported data, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Project provides a unique resource for the cancer community.

Written byJef Akst

| 4 min read

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LYING DOWN FOR A CAUSE: Cancer patients and research advocates, among them Lisa Quinn, stage a “Die In” at the Stage IV Stampede in Washington, D.C., on October 13, 2017.PATRICK QUINN

Last October, after a hectic couple of days campaigning for metastatic breast cancer awareness and research funding in Washington, D.C., Lisa Quinn boarded an RV owned by the advocacy group METAvivor for a road trip up the East Coast. The stay-at-home mom from northwest Arkansas was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in July 2015 at age 36, and in 2016, she had donated saliva and blood samples, along with her clinical data and information about her disease, to the Metastatic Breast Cancer Project (MBCproject).

Launched by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University in October 2015, the MBCproject aimed to collect patient-donated samples from which to extract molecular and genomic information on metastatic breast cancer, pairing those data with clinical records and patient-reported ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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