#LetsTalkLabs with Sacha Howell

Laboratory or lab-based research is often the first step in research that makes a difference. However, we don’t talk enough about it, so #LetsTalkLabs!

To spark more conversations about this aspect of research, we have partnered with research advisory groups BRAG and Voice Up, people from Greater Manchester and researchers on #LetsTalkLabs, an initiative funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF).

Sacha Howell, cancer researcher supported by Manchester BRC, is at the forefront of breast cancer research. He brings together teams of cancer researchers who use clinical trials and laboratory-based research to improve prevention and treatment.

In this Q&A he tells us more about his work and meeting with Temitope from Wonderfully Made Woman, who is interested in understanding how laboratory research can help Black women in Manchester to prevent breast cancer.

What motivates you to do research?

I have been a cancer doctor for the last 25 years and treated far too many young women whose lives have been cut short by breast cancer. My motivation is trying to find new ways to prevent breast cancer so fewer lives are lost and families keep hold of their mothers, sisters and daughters.

How can your work benefit people across the UK?

Breast cancer is the most common cause of death in women aged 35 to 49. Currently in the UK, women are only identified as being at increased risk of breast cancer by their family history. Women whose close relatives have developed breast cancer are at increased risk themselves. However, only one third of women who develop breast cancer have a family history of the disease and there are no programmes to identify such women early and start breast screening or offer preventive treatments.

With our research we hope to develop a way to identify women who are most at risk of developing breast cancer in their 30s, so that they can be supported with early screening and targeted prevention advice. If we are successful, we will reduce the number of women that develop and die from breast cancer.

What do you do in the lab?

I lead researchers on different studies, for example, the BCAN-RAY study was set up after the death of Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding, who wanted more research into ways to spot breast cancer earlier in young women.

In this clinical trial we’re comparing two groups of women aged between 30 and 39 years of age with no history of the condition in their family. One group of women has been diagnosed with breast cancer and the other group hasn’t. Everyone taking part is asked to complete a questionnaire telling us a bit more about their health (such as age, pregnancy history, family history of cancer), provide a sample of saliva for genetic testing and to have a low dose mammogram to assess the density of the breasts, an important risk factor. In this project, laboratories are crucial in helping us process and analyse the saliva samples.

How did you find taking part in Let’s Talk Labs?

I was really blown away by the enthusiasm and the number of questions that we got from everybody in the audience. It really has been amazing and we hope that the discussions we had will encourage more women from Black heritages to take part in our studies.

Why are people important to your research?

People are incredibly important for all of my research. We involve people in having their say on how we do the research as well as shaping our priorities. Any programmes that we develop for risk prediction and prevention must be acceptable to the population, otherwise they are bound to fail as women will not be happy to attend. By involving women from the community very early in the research programme we hope to design services that are acceptable and fit for purpose. Of course, my research wouldn’t be possible without people coming forward to donate their samples – which I’m extremely grateful for.

Find out more about how laboratory-based research makes a difference on Facebook and X. Visit our opportunities page to find out how you can have your say in research and benefit people in the future.

Interested in finding out more about breast cancer?

For more information on breast cancer visit www.nhs.uk and type ‘breast cancer’ in the search box.