DiaLog: Mapping the Cancer Genome

From OncoLog, March 2008, Vol. 53, No. 3

DiaLog: Mapping the Cancer Genome

Gordon Mills, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers, Chairman, Department of Systems Biology, M. D. Anderson

With the completion of the Human Genome Project, biomedical research is poised to make significant strides in the individualized treatment of disease. Many feel that this will bring more precision—and greater success—to medical diagnosis and care. For cancer, we can finally develop a systematic understanding of the processes that drive the development and progression of the disease.

An exciting new pilot project, the Cancer Genome Atlas, will provide a first step in that direction through large-scale genetic analysis of certain cancer types. M. D. Anderson and other leading U.S. cancer centers play significant roles in this 3-year, $100 million, nationwide collaboration headed by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute.

The pilot project focuses specifically on glioblastoma multiforme, squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, and serous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary. The goal is to characterize the genomic and transcriptional aberrations in 500 variations of these cancers, creating a genetic “fingerprint” of each. Data from the project will be stored in free public databases for use by the cancer research community. This genomic atlas will expand our knowledge of molecular targets in these diseases and help us define new ways to classify tumors so that treatments can be more specifically matched with the patients most likely to benefit. If successful, the pilot project will lead to a full-scale project to map the molecular changes that take place across all human cancer types.

M. D. Anderson has been involved in many facets of the Cancer Genome Atlas, beginning with representation on the steering committee. For the pilot project, we are providing the majority of the tissue samples for the three tumor types under study. We are the only institution providing analysis of DNA copy numbers and allelotypes for the project, using a new genomic technology called the molecular inversion probe assay. M. D. Anderson has extensive technical expertise in using this technology, which is superior to current high-throughput analysis in its specificity and its ability to analyze large numbers of gene sequences at one time. We are also developing a user-friendly interface for the data so that researchers can easily access it as it becomes available.

The Cancer Genome Atlas has enormous potential to deepen our understanding of cancer biology and to pave the way for more effective treatments. At M. D. Anderson, we are excited and optimistic about the possibilities.

For more information on this topic or for questions about M. D. Anderson’s treatments, programs, or services, call askMDAnderson at (877) MDA-6789.

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