The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) is one of ME’s charity partners linked to our SpendME Everyday Account. This means each time someone with our pink SpendME card taps their digital wallet to make a purchase, ME donates 1 cent to NBCF.
ME has been a proud sponsor of NBCF for over 10 years. In fact – it was our first charity-linked card! In this time, we’ve raised more than $2 million for breast cancer research, all because of YOU. Small change can turn into big change.
Learn more about our pink SpendME card.
Every day, 57 Australians are diagnosed with breast cancer. This number of new cases has risen by 21 per cent in the last 10 years, due to an ageing population and better screening practices. But there’s also good news: the death rate has dropped by more than 40 per cent, and five-year survival rates are increasing each year.
This progress is no coincidence – but due to decades of investment in world-class research. Since 1994, NBCF has invested nearly $200 million into more than 600 research projects across Australia. With no government funding, this progress is only possible thanks to community support and partnerships that drive awareness and funding.
Digital taps driving discovery.
NBCF’s impact spans the entire journey a breast cancer patient will see – from biology and early detection to survivorship and treatment. In the last 10 years, nearly 30 per cent of NBCF’s investment has focused on treatment research, while investment in prevention research has doubled.
With the help of partnerships like ME’s SpendME card, researchers are now developing a promising new liquid biopsy – a simple blood test designed to detect traces of breast cancer DNA early, when treatment is most effective. It's just one of the many advances made possible thanks to donor support and community funding.
Turning research into hope.
One of the many researchers whose work is funded by NBCF is Dr Kara Britt, a lab head at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and a leader in breast cancer prevention research.
Dr Britt’s personal connection to the cause fuels her commitment. ‘My mother was only in her late 40s when diagnosed with breast cancer,’
she shared in an interview with NBCF. ‘Personally, I used her journey to focus my studies towards breast cancer research.’
Now, her research focuses on how the immune system and hormonal changes in the breast may contribute to the disease. Her current project explores whether certain immune cells – originally intended to aid wound healing – might be redirected to
help prevent breast cancer from developing.
‘Unfortunately, it was too late for my mum, and that was really hard, but I can save your sister, I can save your daughter or your grandmother,’ Dr Britt says. ‘With your support, I can continue this research and make sure that we, one day, will live in a world free of breast cancer.’
Prevention, detection, treatment, and a future without breast cancer.
Today, NBCF-funded research has contributed to more than 50 changes in health policy and practice, with 42 per cent directly improving health and wellbeing outcomes for Australians.
And while breakthroughs are being made every day, the work isn’t done yet. With 1 in 7 women diagnosed in their lifetime, and only 5 to 10 per cent of cases linked to inherited genetic mutations, more research is needed to understand – and hopefully prevent – the disease in all its forms.
Pay it forward with a SpendME account.
Want to help shape the future of breast cancer research? You can help NBCF realise their vision of zero deaths from breast cancer when you choose ME’s pink debit card and make any purchases using your digital wallet. SpendME is the account that’s Making money good.
This article is prepared based on general information. It does not take into account individual financial objectives or needs and is not financial product advice.