Integrative Research Centers
Center for Cancer Genome Discovery
Matthew Meyerson, MD, PhD, and William Hahn, MD, PhD Damaged or missing bits of DNA are the engines that drive many
cancer cells. By identifying the abnormal genes associated with a
given cancer, we may discover abnormal proteins or pathways that
would be amenable to targeted therapy. Based on this, the mission
of the Center for Cancer Genome Discovery is two-fold: to develop
technologies focused on discovering genomic alterations that
contribute to human cancer; and, in collaboration with basic,
translational, and clinical investigators, to define genomic
abnormalities in specific cancers, evaluate whether the genomic
abnormalities have clinical significance in a therapeutic clinical
trials setting, determine if genotype predicts therapeutic
responses, and develop approaches to identify such mutations
prospectively in cancer patients.
The Center uses multiple technology platforms to identify
mutations, copy number alterations, and epigenetic modifications in
cancer genomes, including gene sequencing, gene expression arrays,
mass spectrometric-based genotyping, SNP arrays, and
next-generation sequencing technologies. It also leverages its
faculty's long-standing collaboration with the Broad Institute,
accessing its genome discovery technology platforms and data
analysis tools.
Center faculty provide extensive expertise in particular genomic
disciplines, such as the discovery of somatic cancer-causing
mutations, tumor characterization using genomic and functional
approaches, germline cancer mutations, gene expression
classification of cancer, cancer epigenetics, systematic functional
analysis of cancer genes using RNA interference and cDNA expression
libraries, and pathological correlates of cancer genome
alterations. Together, Center faculty have created a collaborative
research environment in order to accelerate advances in basic and
translational cancer genomic research.