Updates & Insights Blog

This blog features current topics in cancer genomics research and news and updates from OCG. Let's continue the conversation on our Personal Genomics Podcast.

At the present time, all NIH-sponsored meetings are cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

All the Childhood Cancer Data in the GDC (So Far)
- By Peggy I. Wang, Ph.D. and Pamela C. Birriel, Ph.D.
- October 8, 2019
Childhood cancer genomics data from NCI’s TARGET program available in the Genomic Data Commons, plus some other resources for childhood cancer research.
Leveraging a Genomics Background to Facilitate Molecular Characterization of HCMI Models
- By Lauren Hurd, Ph.D.
- August 1, 2019
Dr. Lauren Hurd, a new Scientific Program Manager for the Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI) discusses her background in genomics and its applications in her current role.
Collecting Uniform Clinical Data for a Community Resource
- By Eva Tonsing-Carter, Ph.D.
- August 1, 2019
To standardize clinical data collection, HCMI utilizes clinical Case Report Forms (CRFs). CRFs are carefully developed for each cancer type to ensure uniformity and compatibility for use across the globe.
GenePattern Notebook: Integration of Electronic Notebooks with Bioinformatics Tools for Genomic Data Analysis
- By Michael Reich
- August 1, 2019
The GenePattern Notebook is an electronic notebook that enables integrative genomic analyses. These analyses are displayed in a user-friendly form and allows scientists even without programming experience to share, collaborate, and publish the results.
Scientific Applications of Next-Generation Cancer Models
- By Cindy Kyi, Ph.D.
- August 1, 2019
HCMI is providing the scientific community with next-gen cancer models that more closely resemble primary tumors, and that are annotated with genomic and clinical data. The article provides examples of how next-gen models have been applied in research.
Dissecting Cellular Heterogeneity Using Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
- By Anuja Sathe, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. and Hanlee P. Ji, M.D.
- August 1, 2019
Through single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers can examine gene expression of individual cells, leading to a more detailed understanding of individual cell states and the heterogeneous tumor microenvironment. An overview from CTD2 network researchers from Stanford University.
Longitudinal Data from the MMRF Released at the GDC
- By CCG Staff
- July 22, 2019
Researchers can now access rich, longitudinal genomic and clinical data from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) at NCI's Genomic Data Commons. CCG Director Lou Staudt describes the collaboration with the MMRF in a guest blog post.
Happy 3rd Birthday, Genomic Data Commons: Continued Data and Tool Growth
- By Louis M. Staudt, M.D., Ph.D.
- May 28, 2019
At the Genomic Data Commons’ three year anniversary, Dr. Lou Staudt reflects on milestones reached and describes future goals for growing an interactive knowledge system for the cancer research community.
Low-Coverage Whole Genome Sequencing: Learning From Less Data
- By Peggy I. Wang
- April 16, 2019
Low-coverage whole-genome sequencing is a recent trend to sequence samples to a very low depth of coverage, often less than 1X. Researchers from very different fields (genetics and cancer diagnostics) are developing computational methods to learn useful information from the limited amount of data.
CCG at AACR 2019
- By CCG Staff
- March 28, 2019
Presentations and other activities with NCI's Center for Cancer Genomics (CCG) at AACR 2019, March 29 - April 3