On Friday 30^th June, Manchester Breast Centre (MBC) hosted a Festschrift Meeting at the Oglesby Cancer Research Building to celebrate Professor Tony Howell’s academic achievements.

Tony Howell has been a leader in breast cancer research at The Christie and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trusts and the University of Manchester for over 40 years.

He played a key role in the development of paradigm-changing targeted drug therapies for breast cancer, such as tamoxifen, anastrozole and goserelin and the first in class selective estrogen receptor downregulator (SERD), fulvestrant.  Tony initiated clinics solely for women at risk of breast cancer in the late 1980’s, and is the Director of the Prevent Breast Cancer Unit at the Nightingale Breast Screening Centre. With colleagues, he has also initiated new methods for determining risk of breast cancer, investigated new approaches to lifestyle prevention, and published over 700 papers, mainly related to breast cancer treatment and prevention. Tony was also one of the founders of the MBC in 2005, which is now the largest collective group of basic and clinical breast researchers worldwide.

At the Festschrift, highly esteemed speakers from nine different Universities and Centres across the UK and the world, who have worked with Tony throughout his career, all gave short talks about their collaborative research, whilst another four international colleagues sent video tributes. Some of Tony’s patients and colleagues from the Prevent Breast Cancer Research Unit shared their stories on the day too.

Nearly eighty invited guests, staff and students enjoyed the range of scientific seminars and entertaining personal tributes reflecting Professor Howell’s inspirational career.

Thank you to the MBC committee of Rob Clarke, Sacha Howell, Gareth Evans and Michelle Harvie for overseeing the successful Festchrift event.