Can certain genes protect people from cancer? One of the country’s top research organizations is hoping to find out.
The Canadian Cancer Society has commissioned geneticists in British Columbia to assess the genes of some of the country’s healthiest people.
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The research subjects have all reached at least the age of 85 without developing cancer, heart disease, major lung ailments, stroke, diabetes or dementia.
Lead researcher Angela Brooks-Wilson says the study will try to determine whether these people, dubbed “super seniors,” have any genetic characteristics that have protected them from cancer over the years.
The study is expected to take at least two years to complete.
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The society is funding the project through a $200,000 grant that was entirely crowdsourced during a one-week campaign last November.
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