A Northwestern breast cancer research center has received a $2 million grant from Avon Products Foundation to develop treatment drugs and improve services to under-served areas, university officials announced Thursday.

The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, directed by breast cancer researchers Monica Morrow and V. Craig Jordan, will use the grant to expand its treatment programs, Jordan said. They also plan to establish an education program in cancer-risk reduction and nutrition for Medical School students, he said.

The $2 million grant marks NU’s second multimillion-dollar gift from Avon and is part of $16.2 million that the company plans to donate to cancer research this year. Last year Avon donated $2.2 million to the same two NU professors.

Jordan, a professor of molecular pharmacology and biological chemistry, said the grant continues a “marvelous” partnership between a private company and a cancer research center, demonstrating Avon’s desire to give back to the community.

“We have one of the top programs in the world for breast cancer research,” he said. “This represents a long-term commitment by Avon to really make a difference. They’ve picked us as a center of excellence.”

Morrow said in a statement that the grant will help create breast cancer research programs and give Chicago-area minority women access to better treatment.

“The gift from the Avon Products Foundation will have an enormous impact on our breast cancer program,” she said. “The ability to apply funds to our area of research strength, and to those new developments which we believe are most promising, is unique.”

Jordan said the NU researchers developed tamoxifen, the first drug to combat breast cancer effectively. And Jordan is in the process of testing a drug called raloxifene, which attempts to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.

Tracey Warshaw, a spokeswoman for Avon, said the grant will give minority women more access to the latest in cancer-fighting technology and treatment. It also will fund NU’s research efforts and Jordan’s efforts to find a cure for the disease, she said.

“Avon is the company for women,” she said. “The breast cancer crusade reinforces its commitment to women.”

Each year the company sponsors the Chicago Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day, a 60-mile walk to raise funds for breast cancer. The walk takes place in Chicago in June.

Jordan said the donation to NU indicates that the company will use the money raised in the Chicago walk to benefit the local community.

“This is the sum of the efforts of thousands of women,” he said. “It’s a reinvestment for the people of Chicago.”