University of Southampton Researchers to Support Breast Walk Ever in Aid of Breast Cancer Research

University of Southampton Researchers to Support Breast Walk Ever in Aid of Breast Cancer Research

(IN BRIEF) Researchers from the University of Southampton will join the Breast Walk Ever charity event on 8 June 2025 to support Against Breast Cancer and raise funds for vital research into secondary breast cancer. ABC-funded PhD student Grace Hayes and her mother Deborah Parnell, who lost Grace’s great aunt to breast cancer, will marshal the event. This year, the event will support groundbreaking research into cancer detection, including the miONCO test, a blood test developed to detect multiple types of cancer. Walkers will have the opportunity to participate in either a 10km or half marathon route, with all proceeds going to ABC’s research efforts.

(PRESS RELEASE) SOUTHAMPTON, 28-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Researchers from the University of Southampton will join forces with participants at the Breast Walk Ever charity event in Hampshire on Sunday, 8 June, to support Against Breast Cancer (ABC) and further their vital research into secondary breast cancer. The event, which raises funds for ABC, will feature several PhD researchers from the University of Southampton, including Grace Hayes, an ABC-funded PhD student researching bone metastasis from breast cancer.

For the third consecutive year, Grace Hayes will volunteer as a marshal at the event, joined for the second year by her mother, Deborah Parnell. Deborah, a Southampton resident, lost her aunt, Mary Wilson, to breast cancer in 1975 when she was just 52 years old. Mary’s battle with breast cancer, which had spread to her bones, left a lasting impact on Deborah. Grace said, “Mum always told me stories about my great auntie Mary, and losing her to breast cancer had a profound effect on my mum. We’re both motivated to support Against Breast Cancer in her memory, as well as to contribute to the significant strides being made in breast cancer research.”

The event will support groundbreaking research funded by ABC at the University of Southampton, including the development of the miONCO test. This innovative blood test is designed to detect 12 types of cancer by measuring genetic regulators in the body that control essential processes such as growth and development.

Grace, who works at the University’s Centre for Cancer Immunology, emphasized, “It’s important for us to help at Breast Walk Ever, not just to thank ABC for funding our research, but also to engage with the fundraisers and show them exactly where their donations are going. It’s a great opportunity to express our gratitude for their support.”

Joining Grace on 12 May will be several other ABC-funded researchers from the University of Southampton, including Dr. Charlie Birts, Lecturer and Researcher in Antibody Therapeutics, Anna-Liese Silber, ABC-funded research technician, and Professor Stephen Beers, Professor of Immunology and Immunotherapy.

Richard Martin, ABC’s Events Manager, expressed excitement for the event: “We’re thrilled to be back in Hampshire for the third year in a row and can’t wait to meet our incredible supporters at the finish line. We’re even offering pink ice cream for them this year!”

The Breast Walk Ever event will take place in Hursley, south of Winchester, on Sunday, 8 June. Participants can choose between a 10km walk or a half marathon (21km) route. For more information, visit the event website.

Media Contact:

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Email: press@southampton.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Southampton