| The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) have announced new funding opportunities centered on Genomic Technologies, as components of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) pilot project. This Genomic Technologies initiative intends to inspire and promote the development of highly innovative tools and new ways to interrogate genomic alterations in cancer. The possible funding mechanisms include R21, SBBIR and STTR. |
Overview
The mandate of Office of Cancer Genomics (OCG) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is to enhance understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer, with the ultimate goal of improving the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. This effort is part of the greater Challenge Goal issued by the NCI in 2003 to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer by 2015. Specifically, the OCG:
Provides information, technology, methods, informatics tools, and reagents to serve the needs of the cancer research community.
Manages the following research programs:
The Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP)
The NIH Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC)
Initiative for Chemical Genetics (ICG)
Establishes and maintains relationships with advisory groups for each of the above programs.
Develops educational resources for the general public.
Programs
Dr. Daniela S. Gerhard is the Director of the following Programs:
The NCI Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP) provides genomic data that includes gene expression profiles of normal, precancer, and cancer cells based on EST and SAGE tags, SNP analysis of cancer-related genes, and chromosomal aberrations. Biological resources generated by the project are available to the scientific community and the CGAP web site provides access to all CGAP data and analysis tools.
The trans-NIH Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) will provide a comprehensive set of full-length (open reading frame, ORF) sequences and cDNA clones for expressed genes from human and mouse, and a partial set for rat. In addition, the OCG/NCI and the NHGRI are involved in the management of two other trans-NIH full-length ORF projects: Xenopus Gene Collection (XGC) and Zebrafish Gene Collection (ZGC).
The Initiative for Chemical Genetics (ICG) is providing a systematic approach towards the study of biology using small molecules. Synthetic chemistry is being used to synthesize large collections of complex and diverse small molecules, patterned after natural products, which are then tested for their ability to induce specific and novel biological phenotypes.
New Initiative
The OCG/NCI and NHGRI recently convened a workshop to assess the value of a project to catalogue all of the DNA sequence changes that occur in tumorigenesis by comparing the sequences of multiple tumor genomes to reference sequences. A summary of the workshop and its recommendations are available at "Exploring Cancer through Genomic Sequence Comparisons".
Follow-up information will be posted on the CGAP web site as it becomes available.
Educational Resources
Slide tutorials for the general public describe complex scientific concepts in straightforward text, accompanied by easy to understand diagrams.
Understanding CGAP explains the basic scientific concepts behind the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project.
SNPs and Cancer explains Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and how they can influence a person's health, and in particular cancer.
The CGAP Website Virtual Tour CD guides a scientific investigator through the CGAP web site with easy to understand graphics, text, and examples of queries and results. Free copies are available on request at Office of Cancer Genomics.
Contact Us
Daniela S. Gerhard, Ph.D. Director Richard A. Aragon, Ph.D Technology Development Program Specialist Asha S. Collins, Ph.D. AAAS Science Policy Fellow Colleen Ramsahoye Program Assistant Joseph G. Vockley, Ph.D. Senior Project Officer
Phone:
(301) 451-8027
Fax:
(301) 480-4368
E-mail:
Address:
Office of Cancer Genomics
National Cancer Institute
31 Center Drive, 31/10A07
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2580