It doesn't matter if you're a Spurs fan or not. You have to give a slow cap to Tim Duncan for doing something really great, this time to science.
Duncan, one of the formidable forces behind the huge success of San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, isn't only a force to be reckoned with in the court. He's also a gentle giant who doesn't mind donating $247,000 for a genome project in San Antonio, Texas.
This project is called the 1000 Cancer Genome Project, which officially began in 2012. It's deemed ambitious even by its own founders, but if it turns out successful, it can be a huge help for the scientific community especially in fighting against a host of different cancers.
Under this project, top cancer surgeons and other medical professionals-more than 200 of them-in San Antonio are collaborating to collect tumor and normal tissues of the top 10 types of cancer in the city. These tissues will be from 1,000 patients.
That's the initial phase. The next step, which is more complex and cost intensive, is the genome sequencing. Although the number of tissues collected seems to be small, they can still generate thousands upon thousands of genetic codes.
After sequencing, the data will then be linked to the clinical record of the patient using a special type of electronic technology. Then the doctors will be able to monitor the patient's outcome, adding more breadth and depth into the longitudinal study.
The data will then be made available to the rest of the world, particularly to the scientific community for free. This is to give "bright minds within or around the city borders" to assess the data and hopefully make some breakthroughs on cancer medicine.
Duncan specially liked the "honest to goodness" approach of the project; hence, he's more than willing to give his support.