NCI Office of Cancer Genomics: Leveraging Genomics for Precision Oncology

Authors

• JM Guidry Auvil
• CW Barrett
• TM Davidsen
• ML Ferguson
• P Gesuwan
• NB Griner
• Y He
• S Jagu
• CL Jones
• JB Otridge
• FL Pruitt
• DS Gerhard

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Genomics (OCG) supports cutting-edge genomics and translational research to advance the molecular understanding of cancer, with the ultimate goal of improving clinical outcomes. OCG currently supports four innovative and collaborative initiatives which conjointly generate, analyze, and translate genomic and other datasets into biologically and clinically-relevant information for the scientific and medical communities. The Cancer Genome Characterization Initiative (CGCI) and the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) initiatives collect patient-matched tumor and normal tissues and use genomic and epigenomic approaches to analyze samples with the goal of identifying therapeutic targets and biomarkers. CGCI characterizes both adult and pediatric cancers, including those prevalent in HIV-positive individuals, while TARGET focuses predominantly on high-risk cancers affecting children and young adults. The Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTD2) initiative advances cancer research by bridging the knowledge gap between large-scale genomic datasets and experimental studies of the underlying etiology of cancer development, progression, and metastasis. The Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI) will generate next generation patient-derived cancer models that are representative of the biology and complexity of human tumors. Models will be annotated with genomic and clinical data and available as a community resource. All data, analytical tools, and resources generated by OCG initiatives are available through the OCG website (ocg.cancer.gov/). The use of OCG datasets and resources by the research community, will accelerate the discovery of viable treatment strategies for cancer. In this way, OCG-supported research collaboratively contributes to the goal of enabling precision oncology.

Scientific Focus Area: Genetics and Genomics

This page was last updated on Friday, March 26, 2021