A data-driven foundation for cancer research
The future of cancer treatment powered by data
Data is the cornerstone of medical research, whether derived from biological samples or sourced from medical records and health statistics. The transformative cures and treatment strategies we achieve through collaboration are grounded in the meticulous organization of comprehensive databases and biobanks.
Through advanced approaches in database development, we’re providing the tools for researchers to identify cancer’s evolution and resistance thereby offering new, better diagnosis and treatment possibilities. The center leverages cutting-edge technology to process and store biological samples, ensuring researchers have access to crucial data that can lead to new discoveries.
In collaboration with health system partners, community organizations, and external academic and industry collaborators, we’re working at the forefront of implementing advanced methods for data collection and analysis. These efforts link biological samples with treatment data, creating a comprehensive view of patient journeys and outcomes.
Advanced data and biobanks
By building databases that analyze cancer data more effectively, the center provides a critical resource, enabling scientists to monitor, track, and understand cancer progression with unparalleled accuracy. The ultimate goal is to expand the availability of these rich datasets, providing the foundation for new cancer treatment strategies.
Biobanks, or collections of biological samples, are a key element in IMGEC’s work. The center’s biobank currently processes and stores a variety of specimens. Our ability to rapidly transport and process biological samples ensures limited delay in researchers accessing high-quality specimens. As the biobank grows, the center will enhance its capabilities, offering more extensive sample storage and processing options for future research.
IMGEC is also engaged with system and external collaborators to develop innovative ways to collect and analyze treatment data. We’re providing researchers with a more holistic view of each patient’s cancer journey for more personalized and effective cancer treatments.
Sequential Genomics
Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women. Our work is generating new insights into the evolutionary sequence and what triggers mutations that lead to more cancer-resistant tumors.
While the activity of hormone receptors and HER2/neu (a protein involved in cell growth) in primary tumors are well-studied, the genomic evolution of breast cancer after recurrence remains less understood. Metastatic cancers, which are heterogeneous and evolve along different paths, often show increased genetic mutations compared to primary tumors. These mutations may emerge randomly or in response to treatments.
Although metastatic breast cancer becomes incurable due to therapy resistance, research shows that changes in the cancer genome aren’t always observed. This project focuses on understanding not only genetic mutations but also the role of epigenetic changes, such as those, which can turn genes on or off, potentially driving cancer progression and contributing to poor outcomes and drug resistance.
Through ongoing blood samples, we are developing new information about what drives change by identifying cancer DNA as the tumor mutates and through DNA methylation to track changes regardless of mutation.
By understanding these factors, we are mapping the natural history of metastatic breast cancer and how treatments affect its evolution.
Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia
To develop better treatments and preventive strategies for breast cancer it is crucial to understand the progression from normal tissue to pre-invasive conditions, such as ADH and DCIS, to IBC. Through our biomarker analysis, we’re able to identify how different parts of the immune system respond to the presence of cancer cells. By making direct comparisons between the different stages and the correlating immune system response, we’re creating a better understanding of cancer progression.
Recent advances in next-generation sequencing have provided deeper insights into the molecular drivers of DCIS progression. Genomic studies reveal that copy number changes and gene expression profiles in DCIS often mirror those in IBC, with the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) playing a significant role.
We are investigating the molecular, genomic, and epigenetic characteristics of ADH, DCIS, and surrounding normal tissue to better understand the progression to IBC. By comparing genomic and transcriptomic changes, we are addressing these evolutionary changes in breast tissue from normal to ADH, to DCIS, and then to invasive breast cancer. In addition, we are exploring how the tumor microenvironment differs between these pre-cancerous conditions. Finally, we are exploring the possibility that the seemingly normal breast tissue from which these arise may harbor the changes that initiate this evolution.
Our findings will help clarify the genetic, epigenetic and immune changes that occur before and during the transition to invasive breast cancer, leading to more targeted approaches to cancer monitoring and treatments.
Future studies
NUT Carcinoma
As a rare cancer typically found in adolescents and young adults, NUT carcinoma has traditionally been difficult to study. However, now with access to an unprecedented amount of data, we can analyze the cancer's RNA and map the metabolic activity within tumors, enabling us to make inroads toward a better understanding of this aggressive disease.
Lung cancer in never smokers
The study of lung cancer in people who have never smoked gives us an understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this disease. We are in the early stages of trials aimed at deepening our insights into lung cancer in never-smokers, with the goal of improving screening and early intervention strategies as well as developing novel therapeutic approaches.
