Breast cancer research receives $2M new funding in B.C.

Groundbreaking research into specialized treatments for breast cancer received a financial boost Thursday, with the province announcing $2 million in funding for the B.C. Cancer Agency.

More than 600 British Columbians die every year from breast cancer, and there are 3,000 new cases annually.

"If we can increase the ability of the B.C. Cancer Agency to treat each individual and their personal form of breast cancer, we know we can reduce those numbers," Health Minister Terry Lake said.

The research which Lake described as "groundbreaking" will be lead by world-renowned scientist Dr. Samuel Aparicio.

Aparicio will focus on gaining a better understanding of which drugs work best against which strains of breast cancer.

"We fit the profile of the patient to the drugs we have available, and each year we have more and more drugs available that we can potentially use to treat those cancers," B.C. Cancer Agency President Malcolm Moore said.