DNA samples sought from blood cancer victims

By Anita Srikameswaran, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Genetic experts want people with a kind of white blood cell cancer to take their DNA to the bank. Representatives from "Bank on a Cure," an initiative of the International Myeloma Foundation, will be attending tonight's regular meeting of Multiple Myeloma Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. in The Western Pennsylvania Hospital-Forbes Regional Campus, Monroeville. Researchers will use the bank to look for genetic patterns that might help predict how patients will respond to specific treatments and their risks for certain side effects. Support group members and other myeloma patients are invited to contribute DNA samples to the project, which began about 18 months ago, said Dr. Brian Van Ness, co-director of Bank on a Cure and the head of the genetics, cell biology and development department at the University of Minnesota. "We're aiming for about 10,000 patient samples," he said, noting about 3,500 samples have been collected. "Every sample counts." Most of the samples have been provided by individuals who requested the test kit at the foundation's Web site www.myeloma.org. Kits contain store-brand mouthwash and a brief survey. Patients rinse their mouths with the wash, collect the liquid and send it to the researchers. All patient information is kept confidential and barcodes are used to label samples, he added. Many people must participate if researchers are to see the overall genetic patterns that might have an impact on the disease. For more information about Bank on a Cure, go to www.myeloma.org or call 1-800-452-2873. Copyright ©1997-2004 PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.