New research coming out of Australia represents a major shift in the way scientists think breast cancer develops and helps doctors understand why women with a specific gene mutation are more likely to develop the deadly disease.

Researchers at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia have found that the "daughters" of breast stem cells are the likely source of a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. A population of breast cells called luminal progenitor cells — the "daughters" of stem cells specific to the breast — are likely to be responsible for breast cancers that develop in women carrying mutations in the gene BRCA1, including "basal-like" cancer. Progenitor cells help form the lining of the breast’s ducts. The breakthrough came from the study of a unique collection of breast cancer tissue donated by Australian women who have had surgery to avoid or fight cancer.

"BRCA1 women have approximately a 65 percent lifetime chance of developing breast cancer. Following surgery, treatment options available to these women are often limited to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, so identifying new treatment and prevention strategies is a priority for us," said Dr. Geoff Lindeman from the institute’s Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium Laboratory.

Here in the United States, money is still being raised for more breast-cancer research. More than 1,000 people finished a 60-mile walk in Cleveland, OH, over the weekend to raise money for research and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure fund. One walker was Brenda Clawson-Flannagan, who, in the past 16 months, received the shocking news of her own diagnosis, finished eight rounds of chemotherapy, 35 rounds of radiation and 13 doses of milder cancer drugs, and underwent a bilateral mastectomy. Her last treatment was only a week ago, but that didn’t stop her from walking the 60 miles.

"It’s good therapy," Teri Lindhorst of Tampa, FL, who finished her own treatment this summer, told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The sharing of knowledge here is wonderful. It’s a healing experience."

Congratulations to all of those women and men who participated in the walk for the cure.