Norway Launches National Cancer Genomic Medicine Effort

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 By a GenomeWeb staff reporter

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Norway has kicked off a national collaborative effort to use deep sequencing to discover and use genetic mutations for treating cancer patients and to create a program for using genomic medicine in the clinic.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 The Norwegian Cancer Genomics Consortium will bring together regional cancer centers to create a national diagnostic service combining clinical specialists, medical genomics networks, and the Norwegian Microarray Consortium and FUGE Bioinformatics Platform.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 Other partners on the project include St. Olavs Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Haukeland University Hospital, the CancerBioMedicine Centre of Excellence, and the Norwegian Cancer Registry.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 0 Throughout the project, the data NCGC produces will be studied by scientists, clinicians, pathologists, and experts in the health economy.

¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 0 NCGC said that it aims to reach five specific endpoints within the first three years. First, the partners will look for mutations of known actionable genes that indicate where treatments exist, and all kinase genes across nine cancer types. The collaborators also will establish sampling procedures and logistics, bioinformatics infrastructure, and analyses with pipelines that provide feedback to treatment centers and to the cancer registry. They also will launch prospective studies, implement phase 1 and 2 studies based on initial findings and current knowledge, and undertake educational efforts aimed at the health system and patients.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on paragraph 9 0 The consortium also said that its main objectives are to:

¶ 10 Leave a comment on paragraph 10 0 • Provide a national network for implementation of personalized cancer medicine in Norway.

¶ 11 Leave a comment on paragraph 11 0 • Provide and disseminate methodologies for deep sequencing of tumor material and for identifying somatic mutations.

¶ 12 Leave a comment on paragraph 12 0 • Initiate a number of research projects to determine the applicability of mutation profiles from tumors for therapeutic decisions.

¶ 13 Leave a comment on paragraph 13 0 • Provide the bioinformatics tools necessary to make the range of mutations clinically interpretable and for national data logistics.

¶ 14 Leave a comment on paragraph 14 0 • Establish a nationwide cancer mutation database in collaboration with the Cancer Registry.

¶ 15 Leave a comment on paragraph 15 0 • Provide a dialogue on the clinical implementation of personal mutation data.

¶ 16 Leave a comment on paragraph 16 0 • Analyze the health economic impacts of improved and standardized access to molecular targeted therapies nationwide.