Research @ NHGRI
Online Research Resources
Breast Cancer Information Core
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An Open Access On-Line Breast Cancer Mutation Data Base
An International Collaborative Effort hosted by NHGRI
The recent identification of mutations in breast cancer susceptibility genes has provided the exciting opportunity to help identify women who are at high risk to develop breast cancer. One of the serious impediments to achieving clinical benefits from this information however, is finding and assessing the significance of mutations in these new susceptibility genes. It is imperative that the detection and interpretation of these mutations is coordinated and that this information is made available to as many qualified investigators as possible. There are many sites on the web that contain general as well as scientific information relevant to breast cancer. A partial list of these can be found here.
Having participated in the poorly coordinated analysis of other cancer susceptibility genes, we consider it important to create and maintain a central repository for information regarding mutations and polymorphisms. We also think it critical to make available the reagents necessary to carry out many different techniques for the detection of such mutations.
When the BRCA1 gene was cloned, a Steering Committee was initiated to help coordinate the formation of a Breast Cancer Information Core (BIC) that could act as such a central repository. We have chosen as the most accessible format for the BIC this World Wide Web site, which is accessible by a password provided to members who abide by a set of guidelines. Membership application can be found by clicking on the "BIC Membership" button below.
Update Notice
As you may have noticed, display of data in the BIC has changed. The new version of the site is now open and accessible. Changes to the BIC include redesigned search tools, a field classifying the "clinical importance" of each mutation and inclusion of additional information on a subset of mutations. Expect to see additional cosmetic and content changes in the coming months.
Portions of the BIC are still under construction and others will be reformatted in the coming months. While we used the change-over process to correct inconsistencies in the data, the new data displays may have introduced new problems. We are in the process of correcting these problems. As always, exercise caution when using BIC data. Please notify me if you find a problem or bug in the BIC. Problems can be reported via email (lbrody@helix.nih.gov). Please include a short description of the problem and the URLs of any relevant web pages.
-Lawrence BrodyCreator and Curator
The BIC Database
BIC Links
Comments, suggestions and problems to bioinformatics@nhgri.nih.gov
