July 30, 2014 -- A biomedical researcher with an unusually aggressive form of breast cancer has taken an extraordinary step to "immortalize" her cancer cells.

Kimberly L. Koss, PhD, 57, skipped standard presurgical chemotherapy in an effort to grow pure versions of the cells removed after her mastectomy.

Chemotherapy would have damaged the cancer cells and made them less likely to live on in lab cultures, which is a rare scientific achievement. But chemotherapy also might have boosted Koss’ chances of survival.

"She is very brave and self-sacrificing," Keith Jones, PhD, says in a press statement. Jones is leading the research team culturing the cells. He is chair of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

"I think we can unlock the secrets of these deadly cells," Koss says in the statement. "I have a daughter and three granddaughters. I hope they never get this disease. But if they do, new treatments could be their salvation, as well as the salvation of many other women."