Arkansas Scientists Ask Women to Spit for the Cure

Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) are collecting saliva samples from thousands of women to further studies on breast cancer.

UAMS’ Spit for the Cure campaign is being conducted with support from the Arkansas chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The samples and questionnaires collected from volunteers will be used to create a large representative DNA database that can be accessed by scientists conducting studies on breast cancer risk factors and treatments.

To maintain participant privacy, researchers will access the samples and accompanying data using identification codes rather than names or social security numbers. UAMS hopes the comprehensive database will benefit numerous studies focused on different aspects of the disease. As one doctor connected to the project explained,

“It has become clear that an individual’s inherited profile and environmental exposures will decide, to a large degree, that individual’s risk of developing breast cancer. We are working to obtain DNA samples from a representative group of Arkansas women that will be used to advance breast cancer research in a variety of areas.”

V. Suzanne Klimberg, MD
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

To speed the collection process, organizers are placing booths at Susan G. Komen races and cancer survivor events in the Little Rock area. If you’d like to participate in Spit for the Cure, please contact Susan Kadlubar, PhD, in the UAMS College of Public Health at (501)526-7957.

Source: UAMS News Bureau

Related Podcast: A Breast Cancer Predictor? from CR Magazine

Tags: Arkansas Cancer Research Center; genetic research; BRCA; immunoassay

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Published by Lisa on Tuesday 9 October 2007 at 8:00 am - permalink
Filed under Breast Cancer,Clinical Trials,Podcasts

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Arkansas Scientists Ask Women to Spit for the Cure

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