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To make a difference in helping find a cure for breast cancer, you canhelp researchers by simply donating a small blood sample during this year'sKomen Dallas Race for the Cure Saturday, Oct. 18 at North Park Center, 8687North Central Expressway.
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The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank and its medical partner, UTSouthwestern will collect blood samples from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the shoppingmall on race day. The Tissue Bank will have two tents with well-marked signs.
"In breast cancer, in order to figure out what is abnormal, you have to beable to compare it to normal. So it is because of that that the normalcontrols from the Komen Tissue Bank are incredibly important," said Anna MariaStorniolo, M.D., co-principal investigator of the Susan G. Komen for the CureTissue Bank at the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center.
"Research studies help us do more than develop new treatments. They alsoadvance our understanding of how breast cancer develops in the first place,which can lead to new ways to detect or prevent the disease. This tissue bankis a unique opportunity for women to participate in and contribute to theresearch process," said Diana Rowden, vice president of Health Services forKomen.
First, participants will fill out a consent form and a questionnaire thatfocuses on medical history. The form and questionnaire will take 20 to 30minutes to complete. It will be helpful for donors to have a list of whatmedications they are taking. Then, participants will have two tablespoons ofblood drawn. From start to finish it will take less than forty-five minutesto make a priceless contribution to breast cancer research.
To participate in the Dallas blood draw, the only requirements are thatindividuals must be female and at least 18 years old.
By collecting blood from women with and without breast cancer, researcherswill be able to determine the differences between these populations, whichcould lead to a better understanding of the disease. Blood samples taken fromwomen without the disease are especially helpful because there are fewcollections of so-called "normal" specimens. The bank will ultimately giveresearchers worldwide valuable and unprecedented research data.
In order to identify the changes cells undergo as they transition fromnormal to malignant, and to detect the earliest indication of malignanttransformation, it's vital to obtain and study "true normal" breast cells.
While only blood samples are being collected at the Dallas race, hundredsof women have also donated breast tissue for research purposes. Those samplesare kept at the Tissue Bank at Indiana University.
Besides its support of women volunteering in research studies, Susan G.Komen for the Cure is the largest single nonprofit funder of breast cancerresearch. This year alone, Komen funds are supporting $100 million worth ofresearch programs throughout the U.S. and five other countries.
The transport of the materials and supplies for this event fromIndianapolis was made possible by Wheaton Moving & Storage.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R)
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would doeverything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promisebecame Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancermovement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots networkof breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empowerpeople, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure(R), we have invested morethan $1.2 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source ofnonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. Formore information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breastcancer, visit http://www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
SOURCE Susan G. Komen for the Cure
