ICGA Foundation Launched 'Cancer Genome Portal'
The Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) Foundation has launched a data repository ‘Cancer Genome Portal’ for India-specific cancer genomics to improve the understanding of the genetic variations of cancer in India. This is in line with the ‘Cancer Genome Atlas Program’ of the National Insitute of Health in US.
According to the ICGA Foundation, the cancer treatment in India has been based on the western data sets, which can differ for Indian patients significantly at the molecular level. The initiative aims to create India-specific datasets to help researchers and clinicians develop personalized treatment protocols, ICGA said.
As per the experts, many drugs developed for cancer treatments in India are not effective for Indian patients because cancer development differs significantly on a molecular level.
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Initially, the portal is launched with a dataset of 50 breast cancer patients however, it plans to expand it further to 500 patients in the coming months. Other types of cancers will also be included in the portal’s database.
The new portal is India’s first cancer Multi-Omics Data Portal, a comprehensive resource offering detailed multi-omics data for breast cancer patients including their geomics and proteomic information. The portal launched in India is based on cBioPortal platform, which ensures seamless integration with global cancer research efforts.
The genetic analysis of the Indian cancer patients will be done and uploaded on this portal. DNA, RNA and protein profiles of the breast cancer patients and clinical outcomes in each case will be recorded.
ICGA says that the patient’ consent and privacy measures have already been taken and the data sets will be provided on a request basis after approval from the scientific panel.
