The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently decided to partner with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) to integrate genomic information, clinical data and oncology medicine.
As part of the collaboration, MMRF will incorporate its genomic and clinical data about multiple myeloma with the public database of NCI Genomic Data Commons (GDC), which encourages researchers to share information to better oncology medicine.
“Data sharing is essential to advancing cancer research, and I cannot overstate the value of the data that MMRF is providing — not only genomic data but also full clinical data as well,” Dr. Doug Lowy, NCI's acting director, said. “Combining genomic and clinical information will create an invaluable resource for all researchers worldwide studying this disease who are working toward new, more effective treatments.”
This database will feature information from more than 30,000 patients with various kinds of cancer. It should be finished by the end of the year.
“The MMRF is a research and advocacy organization conducting clinical studies that incorporate whole-genome, whole-exome and RNA sequencing into their study analyses," Dr. Louis Staudt, director of the NCI Center for Cancer Genomics, said. “The GDC gains power with each new submission, and the contribution of MMRF data will enable the discovery of potentially actionable and life-changing insights into multiple myeloma and its response to therapy that could be used by cancer researchers, doctors and patients.”
