Tickled Pink products on sale
in stores from the
6th September

Asda launched the Tickled Pink campaign back in 1996 to raise money to help improve the lives of people with breast cancer, both now and in the future. Entering its 14th year, Asda's Tickled Pink campaign benefits two breast cancer charities - Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Campaign and since it started, our work has raised over £21 million.


Dr Tim Smith

(University of Aberdeen)

Dr Smith and his team aim to produce a quick, non-invasive method using imaging techniques to decide whether a breast cancer patient can be treated with a drug called Herceptin.

Only people whose breast cancer cells have high levels of HER2 molecules will respond to Herceptin. Currently the only way to measure the levels of HER2 is by surgically removing the tumour or taking a biopsy to be examined in the laboratory.

Dr Smith’s imaging technique could help clinicians detect and calculate the levels of HER2 molecules whilst they are still in the body. This would prevent patients from undergoing invasive surgery and ultimately ensure they don’t receive treatments that won’t work.

Posted in:  

Breast Cancer Campaign - Scotland

Dr Kunkler

Professor Ian Kunkler

(University of Edinburgh)

Around 3,200 cases of DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) a pre-invasive breast cancer are detected in the UK each year. If left untreated it may progress to invasive disease in up to half of patients.

This project will establish if DCIS responds to a short dose of radiotherapy combined and with booster dose is better at preventing the condition returning.

As well as monitoring the patients for signs of recurrence of disease, a breast care team will carry out assessments on breast appearance, pain experienced to learn about the treatment’s effect on their quality of life.

Posted in:  

Breast Cancer Campaign - Scotland

Dr Haggarty

Dr Paul Haggarty

(Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen)

Dr Haggarty hopes to identify which diet and lifestyle choices may alter genes in ways which lead to breast cancer.

This work could help inform people of the changes that can be made to reduce their breast cancer risk and provide simple tests to identify individuals at increased risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer incidence has risen by 26 per cent over the last ten years and still continues to rise. In order for this trend to be reversed it is essential to identify ways people can reduce their breast cancer risk by changing simple diet and lifestyle factors. This project could also help in the early identification of individuals at increased risk of breast cancer on the basis of simple genetic tests.

Posted in:  

Breast Cancer Campaign - Scotland

Professor Richard Iggo

(University of St Andrews)

Breast cancer can develop when genes that usually prevent tumours from developing do not work correctly. It is important to understand how and why this happens to prevent, detect and treat breast cancer.

This project aims to identify new genes involved in breast cancer development, to help scientists find ways to prevent and detect breast cancer, and design new breast cancer treatments.

Posted in:  

Breast Cancer Campaign - Scotland

Dr Stein

Dr Torsten Stein

(University of Glasgow)

This project will investigate a new gene called TSC-22 that could be involved in breast cancer. The findings of this research could lead to the development of new breast cancer treatments.

Dr Stein aims to discover more about TSC-22 and how it works in normal breast cells to hopefully discover why it stops functioning in breast cancer. This finding may lead to the development of new breast cancer treatments for people without active TSC-22.

Posted in:  

Breast Cancer Campaign - Scotland

Dr Wallace

Dr Maura Wallace

(University of Edinburgh)

Breast cells contain many different molecules all working together to maintain a healthy cell and prevent cancer from developing. Occasionally when these proteins are prevented from doing their job, tumours can develop.

This project will investigate a protein called Numb, which prevents breast cancer developing. However, Numb is not found in approximately 50 per cent of breast cancers. Dr Wallace will study in more detail how Numb becomes inactivated to try to define the role it plays in breast cancer development.

Posted in:  

Breast Cancer Campaign - Scotland

ADr Bourdon

Dr Jean-Christophe Bourdon

(University of Dundee/Ninewells)

This project will investigate ways to predict how a person’s breast cancer will develop at the point of diagnosis to better aid their treatment.

The ultimate aim is to be able to predict how a person’s breast cancer will develop and respond to treatment by identifying which protein their breast tumour produces. This knowledge would be invaluable to clinicians when deciding upon the most appropriate way to treat patients upon diagnosis.

Posted in:  

Breast Cancer Campaign - Scotland