People across the U.S. can now contribute to critical cancer research without leaving the comfort of their own home. Rutgers University professors have launched a major study into the underlying genetics of breast cancer that makes it easy for any U.S. resident age 18 or older  to participate. All that’s needed is to fill out a brief online questionnaire and mail in a sample of their saliva.

Those simple acts could lead to new breakthroughs in treating a disease that killed an estimated 42,000 U.S. women in 2024. “You don’t need to go to a doctor’s office, and you don’t need to spend more than 20 minutes,” says Steve Buyske, a professor of statistics in the School of Arts and Sciences. “But you’d be making a significant contribution.” Buyske and Tara Matise, a Distinguished Professor of Genetics in SAS, are leading the study that seeks to identify new genetic mutations, or variants, that can cause breast cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer death among U.S women behind lung cancer.

“One reason we’re doing this study is the number of people that breast cancer touches,” says Matise, chair of the Department of Genetics. “The second reason is the limited information we still have about the genetic causes even after many years of focused research.” To read the full story.