Harding, 39, died in 2021 - and one of the singer's final hopes was to find ways of spotting the disease early when it's easier to treat.

The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women will be one of the only projects to try to identify which women in their 30s are most at risk.

About 2,300 women under 40 are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK.

Harding spoke about the study before she died.

"Research is incredibly important in the fight against cancer," she said.

"Although this research may not be in time to help me, this project is incredibly close to my heart as it may help women like me in the future."

The study will take place using money from Cancer Research UK, the Christie Charity, and the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal - backed by her family and bandmates.

It will look at risk factors most commonly found in young women with the disease and form a model to identify them in future.

It's hoped all women will eventually be able to have a risk assessment when they reach 30.

Read more:
Girls Aloud reunite for fundraising ball
Girls Aloud stars do Race for Life

Those deemed high risk would then get early access to screening and other preventative strategies.

A thousand women in the Greater Manchester area will take part, including 250 with breast cancer who don't have a family history of the disease.

Saliva samples will hopefully help experts identify certain types and patterns of genes that could raise a woman's risk.

These will be considered with factors such as period timing, breast tissue density, alcohol consumption and use of the pill.

Harding's consultant, Dr Sacha Howell, is leading the study.

"Sarah spoke to me many times about breast cancer research and was really keen for more to be done to find out why young women are being diagnosed without any other family members having been affected by the disease," Dr Howell said.

"Currently the only indicator we have is based on family history but this only helps predict one third of cases," he added.

"While there is research available in the over 40s, this will be the first study in young women."

The study comes after the Duchess of York, 63, revealed she's had breast cancer surgery after an early form of the disease showed up in a routine screening.