While on a visit to Huntsville in the fall of 2014, Mary-Claire King, the acclaimed geneticist who discovered the BRCA1 gene associated with inherited breast cancer risk, challenged the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology to make testing more widely available. King discovered the first of many genes now known to be important for cancer risk. Advancing sequencing technologies have made it easier and less expensive to identify individuals at increased risk for cancer.
The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, located in Huntsville, answered King’s challenge and, within a year, launched a community-wide screening program called Information is Power. The test uses a DNA sample collected from a cheek swab and identifies DNA changes in 28 genes that can increase the risk for breast, ovarian, colon, prostate and pancreatic cancers.
Since its inception, more than 6,200 Alabamians have participated, and more than 200 individuals have been identified with increased risk. These…
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Author : Alabama News Center Staff
Alabama News Center
https://www.alabamanewscenter.com/2023/11/05/alabamas-hudsonalpha-institute-expanding-access-to-cancer-risk-screenings-across-the-state/
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