Meet researcher Dr. Hannah Harrison and study participant and patient Annette Illing, who are part of a groundbreaking breast cancer prevention programme, funded through The Christie Charity Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal.
Through genetic testing and personalised risk assessments, the study is helping identify women at increased risk of developing breast cancer at a younger age.
Annette was 39 and had no symptoms, no family history of breast cancer, and no reason to suspect anything was wrong. But her participation in the study proved to be life changing. In June 2025, the study identified Annette as being at increased risk. After a mammogram, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
Without supporter funding, Annette would have waited another decade for her first routine mammogram.
Supporter funding has enabled earlier screening, preventative interventions and faster diagnoses for women in their 30s who otherwise would not qualify for routine NHS screening. Together, we are transforming outcomes and giving patients more options, earlier.
Watch this short video to find out more.