For Immediate Release:
The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) today announced a new collaborative research project with DNA.Land, the nonprofit crowdsourcing website created by scientists at the New York Genome Center (NYGC). Funded by a grant from NBCC, the breast cancer project asks women and men who have participated in genealogy tests to answer questions about breast cancer, including their family history. These genomic data, along with answers from the breast cancer questionnaire, which was developed by NBCC trained advocates and researchers, will be used to develop a large-scale database that researchers can use to identify genetic variants that impact risk and recurrence of the disease.
“NBCC has a history of supporting innovative approaches to ending breast cancer. Through collaboration with DNA.Land researchers, we will be able to leverage existing data and support sharing of this data to advance breast cancer research,” said NBCC President Fran Visco. “We plan to tap into the millions of people who already have had their DNA sequenced through commercial companies to participate in this potentially life-saving study.”
The new database will serve as an important tool for breast cancer researchers and has the potential to help develop approaches to prevention, new treatments and therapies for the disease. NBCC and DNA.Land scientists need participation from as many participants as possible who have, or have had breast cancer or have a first degree relative with a history of breast cancer.
“An emerging lesson from a decade of studies is that large sample sizes are needed to obtain robust findings on complex traits,” said Yaniv Erlich, PhD, Core Member and Co-Creator of DNA.Land at the NYGC and Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Columbia University. “If you have a genetic genealogy test from any of the direct-to-consumer companies like 23andMe, MyHeritage, AncestryDNA or Family Tree DNA, you can help with the study. It does not matter if you are a male or female. Just come to nbcc.dna.land and help us end breast cancer”.
To learn more and to sign up to participate, go to: nbcc.dna.land.
About the National Breast Cancer Coalition
Founded in 1991, the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s (NBCC) mission is to end breast cancer through the power of action and advocacy. In 2010, NBCC set a deadline and launched a plan of action to know how to end breast cancer by January 1, 2020—Breast Cancer Deadline 2020®. As part of Deadline 2020®, NBCC has started an advocate-led, innovative, mission-driven research effort, called the Artemis Project®, focused on primary prevention and prevention of metastasis. NBCC increases federal funding for meaningful breast cancer research; monitors how research funds are spent; expands access to quality health care for all; and ensures that trained advocates influence all decision making that affects breast cancer.
About the New York Genome Center
The New York Genome Center is an independent, nonprofit academic research organization at the forefront of transforming biomedical research and clinical care with the mission of saving lives. A collaboration of renowned academic, medical and industry leaders across the globe, the New York Genome Center’s goal is to translate genomic research into development of new treatments, therapies and therapeutics against human disease. Its member organizations and partners are united in this unprecedented collaboration of technology, science and medicine, designed to harness the power of innovation and discoveries to advance genomic services. Their shared objective is the acceleration of medical genomics and precision medicine to benefit patients around the world.
Member institutions include: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, American Museum of Natural History, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Columbia University, Hospital for Special Surgery, The Jackson Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, The New York Stem Cell Foundation, New York University, Northwell Health, Princeton University, The Rockefeller University, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Stony Brook University, Weill Cornell Medicine and IBM.
