2013-07-19 – London
Big data could help scientists improve the quality of cancer treatments
The US-based National Cancer Institute (NCI) has released the largest-ever database on cancer-linked mutations accessible to the public, with the aim to help researchers better understand the relationship between genetic variations and drug response. A study containing the database was published in the academic journal Cancer Research.
The scientists hope that with the accumulated information, researchers can work out more promising ways to predict and increase the likelihood of a cancer treatment taking effect.
Past research lacked a clear understanding of tumorigensis – “the process by which normal cells are transformed into cancer” – said NCI’s Yves Pommier in an interview. Opening the extensive data set to the research community will potentially enable experts to expand their knowledge on this process as well as foster the development of precision medicine.
According to NCI, the database contains a bewildering amount of some 6 billion data points “that connect drugs with genomic variants for the whole human genome across cell lines from nine tissues, including breast, ovary, prostate, colon, lung, kidney, brain, blood, and skin”.
Data analytics performed on this database, generated in a study with 60 different cell lines, can be used to identify what the mechanisms of resistance to a drug are, according to a spokesperson for the American Association of Cancer Research.
Organisations such as Modelling Design Partners are working closely with health agencies to assist in developing solutions which can improve the over-all effectiveness of healthcare.
