The future of cancer on the Flathead Indian Reservation could be changed by a tablespoon of blood.
The Montana Cancer Institute Foundation (MCIF), in collaboration with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Department, is sponsoring a new program looking at Native American genes. Researchers are hoping to find out whether Tribal people might have certain genetic traits that can help fight cancer, or identify barriers to recovery.
According to Dr. LeeAnna Muzquiz, a Tribal liaison coordinating the project, patients who come into Tribal Health for regular appointments will have the chance to give blood for research.
“It’s a study that looks at cancer’s genetics,” she said. full story
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