The RATHER project which investigates two specific difficult-to-treat subtypes of breast cancer, has shown so far that at least five subtypes exist, each of which requires different treatment. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in European women with an estimated incidence of 450,322 in 2008.

Since the RATHER ('Rational Therapy for Breast Cancer: Individualized Treatment for Difficult-to-Treat Breast Cancer Subtypes') project kick-off in January 2011 with partners from universities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Ireland, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom, have taken the first steps towards clinical trials for drugs that could target kinases (enzymes involved in cellular signalling) in specific breast cancer subtypes.

Over the course of the project's 5-year lifespan, the researchers investigate two specific difficult-to-treat subtypes of breast cancer that account for one quarter of all cases: Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC), a type of cancer that arises within the milk-producing lobules of the breast and accounts for approximately 10% of breast cancer cases, and Triple Negative (TN) breast cancer, a subtype that lacks the oestrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors and accounts for approximately 15% of cases. Recently the project received a funding boost of nearly €6 million under the 'Health' Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

On the other hand, the project partners are also working in close collaboration with the European Bioinformatics Institute through their shared participation in the EUROCANPLATFORM, an EU-funded project that received €12 million under FP7. Its overall aim is to streamline all aspects of cancer research in Europe - from basic research to pre-clinical and clinical trials.