Researchers impact final round in The Cancer Genome Atlas

When The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was initiated in 2006, it brought together broad and talented research teams from around the country. By the time it ended in 2017, it had involved faculty from numerous departments across Baylor College of Medicine, the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Human Genome Sequencing Center.

This week, a collection of 27 papers is being published reporting on the integrated project to analyze all 33 cancer types and to classify mutations and specific pathways. The release of 29 papers, many of them with significant contributions from Baylor researchers, and findings from the 11,000 patient cohort data appear in the current editions of Cell publications. The project has produced game changers for translational research and clinical trials.

The things we learn from the TCGA have the potential to impact clinical practice, drug development and the way we diagnose and treat a wide range of cancers

“The TCGA project allowed us to apply team science to biology, and the things we learn from the TCGA have the potential to impact clinical practice, drug development and the way we diagnose and treat a wide range of cancers,” said Dr. David Wheeler, professor of molecular and human genetics in the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor.

The papers are grouped into three key themes that explore Cancer Pathways, Cell of Origin and Oncogenic Processes. Wheeler co-organized and co-led the Oncogenic Processes theme.