Learn more about The Cancer Genome Atlas

Understanding the key genetic changes in cancer and their relationship with each other will be the driver for personalized cancer medicine in the 21st century. Launched in 2006, as a pilot project between the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Project has proven the feasibility of a large-scale, systematic approach to identifying genetic alterations in cancer. In the pilot phase, TCGA focused on three subtypes of adult brain, lung, and ovarian tumors.

Why Is TCGA a Signature Initiative?

The genomic information generated by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) holds significant promise to rapidly advance development of new targeted treatments, early detection, and more effective prevention methods based on an individual's genetic makeup. Expanding the scope of TCGA from the three types of cancers included in the pilot to 20-25 additional tumor types will significantly increase the knowledge base for delivering on the promise of personalized medicine.

Such a large scale project requires scientists in both academia and private industry working collaboratively to produce high-quality biospecimens, generate and analyze the genomic data, and make that data—along with the bioinformatics tools necessary to mine the data—available to the cancer community.

The TCGA model is also being expanded to a complementary initiative for pediatric cancers–TARGET or Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments. Currently focused on identifying therapeutic targets for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Neuroblastoma, TARGET researches have already identified genetic changes that predict a high likelihood of relapse in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In combination, these projects have the potential to change the direction of cancer treatment, prevention, and diagnosis.

How Will Recovery Act Funding Impact TCGA?

NCI and NHGRI plan to build on the foundation of success in the pilot phase of TCGA to identify all of the relevant genomic alterations in 20-25 tumor types by 2014. NCI plans to use Recovery Act funding to accelerate progress toward this aggressive goal.

The TCGA model is also being expanded to a complementary initiative for pediatric cancers–TARGET or Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments. Currently focused on identifying therapeutic targets for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Neuroblastoma, TARGET researches have already identified genetic changes that predict a high likelihood of relapse in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In combination, these projects have the potential to change the direction of cancer treatment, prevention, and diagnosis.