On June 24 at 3pm, 22 women will stand outside 10 Downing Street, joined by Members of Parliament, to deliver a petition to the Prime Minister calling for urgent funding into Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer (ILC) research. This public action forms part of the Lobular Moon Shot Project, a national campaign tackling the significant lack of investment into the second most common form of breast cancer.
ILC often evades detection by standard mammograms and ultrasounds, contributing to late diagnoses and poorer outcomes. Despite this, it remains an “unmet clinical need”, under-researched and underfunded.
Leading the campaign is Dr. Susan Michaelis, who was diagnosed with ILC in 2013. In 2023, she launched the Lobular Moon Shot Project, aiming to raise £20 million over five years to fund a comprehensive biological study of ILC and the development of targeted treatments. This research is being spearheaded by the Manchester Breast Centre in collaboration with the University of Manchester, with funding already contributed by the Loraine Michaelis Foundation, founded by Dr. Michaelis and her husband, Tristan Loraine.
Coinciding with the Downing Street campaign is the world premiere of the feature documentary Our Journey With Lobular Cancer at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival on June 24, 2025. The documentary, directed by Tristan Loraine, follows Dr. Michaelis and other women with ILC as they share their deeply personal experiences and campaign for critical research funding.
Loraine, a former commercial pilot who retrained at the National Film and Television School and Raindance, founded Fact Not Fiction Films in 2006. The production company, based in West Sussex, is renowned for documentaries and feature films that aim to effect social change.
“This film gives a voice to women living with a disease that too often goes undetected and under-discussed,” said Loraine. “It’s time for lobular cancer to receive the attention, research, and resources it deserves.”
Our Journey With Lobular Cancer is produced by Fact Not Fiction Films and will debut as part of the Raindance Film Festival’s 2025 programme.
