Breast Cancer Now Nina Barough Pathology Core Facility

The Breast Cancer Now Nina Barough Pathology Core Facility provides diagnostic and research-based histopathology to both the Breast Cancer Now Research Centre and research teams within The Institute of Cancer Research.

Photo: Jan Chlebik/the ICR

The modern laboratory is well-equipped laboratory and offers a comprehensive repertoire of histological services, including tissue processing, embedding, and cutting of clinical or animal material. The laboratory is equipped with two auto-stainers for immunohistochemical detection, and a semi-automatic tissue arrayer for constructing tissue microarrays from clinical or research material.

While the facility’s priority is to Breast Cancer Now scientists, they also offer advice in histopathological technique to researchers within the ICR.

For more information, please contact the Core Facility Manager, Naomi Guppy.

Small fragments, big impact: discovering the 'shearosomes' that drive cancer's spread

30/07/25

A collaborative study reveals an unexpected way cancer spreads through the body – by shedding tiny, previously unidentified fragments called shearosomes as tumour cells squeeze through narrow blood vessels. Shearosomes appear to actively influence their surroundings, supporting the growth of secondary tumours, offering new insights into how cancer spreads.

See full story

“It’s not just about surviving, it’s about so much more” - Alfred’s story

11/01/23 - Alfred Samuels

When Alfred Samuels was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2012, it felt as if his world had fallen apart overnight. Doctors said surgery wasn’t an option for him because the cancer had spread beyond his prostate, and he started to lose hope. But then he joined a clinical trial and began treatment with abiraterone, a drug discovered and developed by our scientists, which is now extending the lives of thousands of men worldwide. Eleven years later, Alfred explains how he wouldn’t be here today without our research.

See full story