Sometimes, innovation that can change the world pops up in the most unimaginable places. That's the case in cancer research. A group of renown medical researchers are front-running a project in Iceland backed by the IMF that aims to decipher the genetic codes for most of the population of the tiny island nation through screening to determine who is predisposed for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer that develops in the bone marrow, typically in older adults. The immediate goal: to learn what genetic factors can cause the disease and spur it to progress. "All this from a simple blood test that can see if a person has a precursor for the disease," explains project leader Dr. Sigurdur Kristinsson, a professor of hematology at the University of Iceland. Myeloma is a test ground for other cancers because it is so easily tracked. The hope is that treatments that are proved effective for this disease may be effective in other cancers as well. Establishing a database from which to draw general conclusions on the behavior of such diseases like cancer requires massive amounts of data collecting and analysis. It is no small feat.

The geothermal hot springs at Iceland's Blue Lagoon near Grindavik, Iceland Bob Strong | Reuters

Why Iceland, the land of the Vikings, that's known more for its live volcanoes and the Blue Lagoon than anything else? "It's the country's insular and homogeneous population of some 329,000 people that make it a great sample for genealogists and scientists to trace genetic mutations that can increase the risk of cancer," said Dr. Brian Durie, chairman and co-founder of the International Myeloma Foundation who is overseeing the so-called iStopMM project in Iceland. Today 93 percent of all citizens are ethnically Icelandic, the government reports. Lineage comes from a small number of founders, making it easier to trace genealogies and pedigrees.

Our ultimate goal is to be the first country in the world to offer a cancer cure for its entire population. Dr. Brian Durie chairman, International Myeloma Foundation

Icelanders also have a strong social conscience and are committed to advances in science, according to former president of Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadóttir. "We are a compassionate people, and we care about the well-being of others," she said. "We hope this study will help in the prognosis of those who have this cancer condition."

Medical discoveries

For more than 18 years the country has been doing genetic sequencing for one-third of its population through the National Human Genome Research Institute. It's a genetic treasure chest that has already led to important breakthroughs.





A cancer pharmacology research investigator prepares tissue cultures. Kelvin Ma | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The race for a cure