Research Conference 2026 Highlights

Following the success of our first Research Conference in September 2024, Prevent Breast Cancer was proud to organise and host its second edition in Manchester last week, bringing together leading researchers, clinicians and health professionals dedicated to advancing breast cancer prevention.

Over two days, delegates from across the UK and around the world gathered to hear the latest scientific and clinical developments and discuss how research can translate into real improvements in prevention and patient care.

The conference programme featured six interdisciplinary sessions covering risk prediction, modifiable risk factors, breast density, global health and inequalities, NHS delivery of screening and prevention services, and preventative therapies. We also saw the return of our popular Dragons’ Den Live Grant Round (featuring a suitcase full of gold bars and a pair of handcuffs!) where researchers pitched their ideas to a panel of experts and the audience, who voted on which project should receive a Prevent Breast Cancer grant of £10,000.

The conference concept was originally developed by Lester Barr, Consultant Breast Surgeon and founder of Prevent Breast Cancer, whose vision was to bring together experts from across disciplines to focus on the shared goal of preventing breast cancer.

The event was organised by Prevent Breast Cancer with the support of an expert organising committee: Dr Sacha Howell, Director of the Prevent Breast Cancer Research Unit and the Family History Clinic at The Nightingale Centre; Professor Cliona Kirwan, Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon and Clinician Scientist in Surgical Oncology; Professor Rob Clarke, Director of the Manchester Breast Centre and Deputy Director of the Prevent Breast Cancer Research Unit; and Sumohan Chatterjee, Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon at The Nightingale Centre.

They also chaired sessions alongside other Manchester-based experts, including Consultant Geneticist Dr Emma Woodward, award-winning dietitian Professor Michelle Harvie, AI and intelligent medical imaging specialist Professor Sue Astley, and Consultant Radiologist Gillian Hutchinson.

Throughout the programme – which brought together basic science, clinical research and public health – there was a clear sense of shared purpose: to work together to prevent breast cancer for future generations.

With a key part of the government’s 10-Year Health Plan focused on shifting healthcare from sickness to prevention, the importance of preventing disease is increasingly part of the national conversation. While cancer services understandably focus on diagnosis and treatment, preventing cancer in the first place must also be a central part of the future healthcare strategy. Events like this conference help bring together the research, clinical insight and collaboration needed to turn prevention into reality.

The conference featured keynote presentations from internationally recognised experts in breast cancer prevention research.

Dr Simon Knott joined us from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to deliver two keynote lectures on androgen activity in the breast and the spatial features associated with denosumab response in women with dense breasts.

Professor Cathrin Brisken from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland spoke about how natural and synthetic hormones influence breast tissue, while Dr Anna Ilenko joined us from France to deliver a fascinating talk on robotic surgical techniques.

Our UK-based keynote speakers included Professor Walid Khaled from the University of Cambridge, who explored how understanding precancerous changes in breast tissue could lead to the development of new therapeutic interception strategies. Professor Ranjit Manchanda from Queen Mary University London shared the latest updates from the NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme, and Louise Wilkinson, Consultant Radiologist at Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, joined us via Zoom to discuss the opportunities and challenges of screening women with dense breasts.

A key part of the conference programme was dedicated to showcasing new and emerging research. Researchers presented their work in a poster exhibition, providing delegates with the opportunity to explore innovative projects and new ideas in breast cancer prevention. Five researchers were also invited to deliver an overview of their project in poster flash talks.

To demonstrate our commitment to seed-funding innovative breast cancer prevention studies, our Dragons’ Den Live Grant Round returned. In this lively and interactive session, shortlisted researchers pitched their proposals in five-minute presentations to an expert judging panel, comprising leading researchers and patient representative Fiona Harrison. Funding decisions were made by a combination of the panel’s scores and live audience voting, with the winning project awarded a Prevent Breast Cancer grant of £10,000.

A big congratulations to the winner Cassie Clarke from Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, Targeting Obesity-Driven Neutrophil Niches for Breast Cancer Prevention. Her project will explore how obesity may change the behaviour of certain immune cells in ways that create an environment in breast tissue that could increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

This year’s conference also placed a strong focus on health inequities in breast cancer prevention and care. The session opened with two keynote lectures. Dr Helen Croker from the World Cancer Research Fund presented the latest evidence from the Global Cancer Update Programme, followed by a joint keynote on reverse innovation and the Community Health and Wellbeing Workers programme from Manchester-based Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon and global health researcher Rajiv Dave and public health researcher Dr Connie Junghans Minton, Imperial College London.

A highlight of the session was a dedicated panel discussion exploring how barriers to screening, awareness and preventative services affect ethnically diverse communities, and what can be done to ensure more equitable access to healthcare. The panel discussed the importance of building trust, improving communication and working collaboratively with local communities so that advances in prevention benefit everyone.

We are hugely grateful to Rajiv and Connie, as well as Prevent Breast Cancer’s Health Inequalities Officer Azra Zia and patient representative Fola Olurin, for sharing their expertise and lived experience. Their insights highlighted how research, policy and community engagement must work together to translate prevention research into real-world improvements in access to care.

Beyond the formal sessions, the conference provided valuable opportunities for networking, discussion and collaboration. The atmosphere throughout the two days reflected the strength and commitment of the prevention research community, from established international experts to early-career scientists developing the next generation of ideas.

Prevent Breast Cancer would like to thank all our speakers, chairs, and delegates who contributed to making the conference such a success. A special thank you also goes to our sponsors – AstraZeneca, Nonacus, Micrima, Gilead Sciences, Novartis, Eli Lilly & Company, and Roche – without whom the Conference would not have been possible.

As the only UK charity solely dedicated to funding breast cancer prevention research grounded in clinical practice, events like this are an important part of our mission to bring together the people and ideas that will help prevent breast cancer for future generations.

The government’s 10 Year Health Plan has highlighted the importance of prevention and Prevent Breast Cancer’s second Research Conference has played an important part in ‘harnessing a huge cross-societal energy on prevention’ that the plan mentions.

We look forward to continuing these conversations and building on the momentum of this year’s conference and are hoping to hold our next conference in September 2027!