In 1994, 1 in 9 established a grant at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island. Named in memory of President Geri Barish's son, Michael, the grant helps to fund research into genetic mutations that cause breast cancer, lymphoma and leukemia. Dr. Michael Wigler, whose research the fund supports, discovered the gene P-TEN in March, 1997.

The Wigler Lab has consistently made forward strides in cancer research and has identified several loci which show mutations associated with breast cancer. Much of Dr. Wigler's work is done using a powerful cancer research tool known as the Representational Differences Analysis, or RDA, which was developed in 1994 by Dr. Wigler and an associate, Dr. Nikolai Lisitsyn. RDA compares healthy cells and diseased cells in order to identify the genetic changes that take place in diseased cells. This tool is in use by researchers nationwide and has facilitated important discoveries in cancer, AIDS, and infectious diseases research.

On March 28, 1997, Dr. Wigler published a paper with scientists at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in which they reported the discovery of a gene called P-TEN. Mutations of P-TEN were found in breast, brain and prostate cancers. Unlike BRCA1, mutations of which are found in hereditary predisposition to cancer, most P-TEN mutations are found in more common sporadic cancers (more that 80 percent of all cases of cancer are sporadic). The scientists expect mutations of this gene to appear in many more sporadic cancer types. This discovery is expected to have major implications for improved diagnostics, prognostics and treatment of cancer.

1 in 9 plays soccer on the beach every June to continue to raise funds for research. These funds go to support efforts at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island.