Cancer Genomics

Emerging Themes in Cancer Genomics

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The Cancer Cell Map Initiative: Defining the Hallmark Networks of Cancer- Progress in DNA sequencing has revealed the startling complexity of cancer genomes, which typically carry thousands of somatic mutations. However, it remains unclear which are the key driver mutations or dependencies in a given cancer and how these influence pathogenesis and response to therapy. Although tumors of similar types and clinical outcomes can have patterns of mutations that are strikingly different, it is becoming apparent that these mutations recurrently hijack the same hallmark molecular pathways and networks. For this reason, it is likely that successful interpretation of cancer genomes will require comprehensive knowledge of the molecular networks under selective pressure in oncogenesis. he Cancer Cell Map Initiative (CCMI), aimed at systematically detailing these complex interactions among cancer genes and how they differ between diseased and healthy states. New Biologic Frontiers in Ovarian Cancer: Olaparib and PARP Inhibition. Systems Biology Approaches to the Study of Biological Networks Underlying Alzheimer’s Disease: Role of miRNAs. Cancer Immunology. Genomics will also impact our understanding of the immune system's interaction with tumors, leading to the development of personalized vaccine strategies that may provide more durable responses. The combination of next-generation sequencing and analysis as applied to experiments studying the cancer genome has revolutionized our understanding of cancer biology. Large-scale cancer genomics has further established a baseline that is now poised to effect the translation of cancer genomics into the clinical setting, effectively transforming patient care. The barriers and challenges to translation are significant, not the least of which involves the transition of research-grade computational and interpretational analysis to clinical-grade analysis. Assays must be highly refined, validated and accurate. How the use of genomic approaches to monitor patient response to therapy, the onset of acquired resistance to therapy and other aspects of patient care will be accepted as a more sensitive partner with conventional imaging approaches must be addressed.