CHASE CEO, Wilford “Billy” Heaven, has revealed his entity’s initial investment of $30 million in research to improve the representation cell lines of black women in breast cancer research being undertaken at the University of the West Indies (UWI).
Heaven disclosed the CHASE Fund’s support for the programme at the recent 23rd Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium, held from January 30 to February 1, 2025 at the Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay. “We are excited about this research because it will enhance the understanding of breast cancer biology and improve treatment strategies tailored specifically for Jamaican women, who are disproportionately affected by this disease,” he said He added that it also had the potential to add commercial value to the UWI.
Heaven informed conference participants that Caucasian men and women benefit more from the cancer treatments. He noted that the most prominent global suppliers of cell lines are the American Type Culture Collection and the European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures which accounted for the 154 breast cell lines commercially available to researchers.
“Despite the number of cell lines, there exists a clear disparity in the racial diversity of these cell lines. Roughly 90% of these are derived from Caucasian women, while only 8% are from Black women. This poor representation of Black women most likely has contributed to the disparity in responses to anti-breast cancer drugs experienced among Black women compared to Caucasian women,” Heaven explained.
CHASE funding will support the acquisition of equipment for the ACRJ Molecular Lab at the UHWI. The funding will also cover reagents and materials for a three-year period to support research in Breast Cancer Cell Line Advancement and Characterization to improve the representation of breast cancer cell lines from Jamaican women.
The CHASE Fund has to date provided financial support for 23 research projects.
Organized by the Caribbean Neurological Association the 2025 Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium focused on “Global Health, Technology and Leadership in Health Care”
