Higgins is looking forward to the event in Furth, held in memory of English ace Paul Hunter, who died of cancer aged 27 in 2006.

Furth says that these findings need to be validated and expanded, but she adds that while Stat5a is obviously a complicated protein that has many functions, the results underscore the need to specifically understand the mechanisms that regulate its different roles in breast cells and how changes in Stat5a activity may affect different types of breast cancer generation.

George Furth, 75, actor-playwright who collaborated with composer Stephen Sondheim to create the musical Company.