The San Antonio Express-News reports reports that the doctors want to collect samples of at least 1,000 common tumors. They will also take samples of healthy cells from the same patients and then map the entire genetic codes of both.
The doctors hope to find dozens of differences between healthy and cancerous cells -- information that could guide the treatment of those patients.
Organizers of the San Antonio 1000 Cancer Genome Project say they eventually need $3 million in fundraising. So far, they've raised about $200,000.
