Free genetic cancer risk testing now available for 28 to 32-year-olds

Huntsville, Ala. — HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology announced the continuation and expansion of the Information is Power initiative to a crowd of 1,300 at the ninth annual Tie the Ribbons luncheon for breast and ovarian cancer research.

Information is Power, a collaboration between HudsonAlpha and Kailos Genetics, offers free and reduced cost genetic cancer risk testing for men and women in North Alabama. Redstone Federal Credit Union (RFCU) will generously sponsor the initiative for another year.

Today through November 7, 2018, free testing will be available to women and men 28 to 32 years of age who reside in Madison, Jackson, Limestone, Marshall or Morgan County. If you do not fall within that age range, the test is available at a discounted price for individuals 19 and older living in those counties.

The test screens for mutations in the well-known BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, as well as additional genes linked to other diseases including colorectal and prostate cancer.

“Since its launch in 2015, Information is Power has provided answers to more than 2,500 women and men, some of which reported little to no family history of cancer,” said Howard Jacob, PhD, executive vice president for genomic medicine at HudsonAlpha. “We appreciate Redstone’s continued support of this initiative and recognizing that information truly is power.”

Joseph Newberry, President and CEO of RFCU, said sponsoring the initiative is a way to help build healthy and strong communities.

“Taking this test could be a very important milestone in caring for yourself,” Newberry said. “Redstone is proud to help support HudsonAlpha with Information is Power and knows this past year has made a positive impact throughout our communities.”

Tie the Ribbons supports the Breakthrough Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research Team, a group of scientists committed to the goal of using genomic science and HudsonAlpha’s state-of-the-art technology to make new discoveries in breast and ovarian cancers.

To learn more about Information is Power or to order a test, visit hudsonalpha.org/information-is-power.

About HudsonAlpha: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to innovating in the field of genomic technology and sciences across a spectrum of biological challenges. Opened in 2008, its mission is four-fold: sparking scientific discoveries that can impact human health and well-being; bringing genomic medicine into clinical care; fostering life sciences entrepreneurship and business growth; and encouraging the creation of a genomics-literate workforce and society. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research park. Designed to be a hothouse of biotech economic development, HudsonAlpha’s state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. The relationships formed on the HudsonAlpha campus encourage collaborations that produce advances in medicine and agriculture. HudsonAlpha has become a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education, and includes more than 30 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit hudsonalpha.org.

Media Contact:

Margetta Thomas

mthomas@hudsonalpha.org

256-327-0425

