International collaborative research project to create new cancer models
The Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI) will utilise new techniques to grow cells and produce models that will more closely resemble live tissue structures and tumours used in cancer research.
Models will be developed using tissue from cancer patients, including rare and children’s cancers which are more underrepresented cancers in current cell line collections.
Dr Louis Staudt, director of NCI’s Center for Cancer Genomics, said: “As part of NCI’s Precision Medicine Initiative in Oncology, this new project is timed perfectly to take advantage of the latest cell culture and genomic sequencing techniques to create models that are representative of patient tumours and are annotated with genomic and clinical information. This effort is a first step towards learning how to use these tools to design individualised treatments”.
These models will be genetically sequenced and may help researchers study more closely the biological make-up of tumours. By avoiding duplication of previous scientific endeavours, the formation of the HCMI may potentially change cancer research and will allow scientists the chance to study multiple parts of cellular biology and cancer, including drug resistance, disease progression and the reaction of particular medical treatments.
The IBMS supports original research within the field of biomedical science and awards a number of research grants every year.
More information about the Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI) can be found on the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute website.