Montana researchers receive $1.4 million grant

When Casey Cable looks at DNA in a test tube, he sees a lot more than a minuscule amount of colorless liquid. He sees possibility.

In a lab on The University of Montana campus, the senior studying human biology and pre-medical sciences, extracted the DNA out of nearly 300 blood samples from members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes last year.

Now, UM researchers are beginning to analyze that DNA for information that could someday lead to a major breakthrough in cancer therapy. They are looking for specific gene sequences that could tell them how a person might respond to a particular drug, including cancer therapies, a discipline known in the field as “pharmacogenomics.”

As part of its national Pharmacogenomics Research Network (PGRN), the National Institute of Health recently awarded a $10 million grant to Washington, Alaska and Montana researchers working on pharmacogenomics among Native populations.

Montana efforts will receive $1.4 million of the five-year grant, said Erica Woodahl, the principle investigator on the project.

By Heidi Groover

Full Story: http://www.montanakaimin.com/news/montana-researchers-receive-1-4-million-grant-1.1604175