The cancer cell map initiative: defining the hallmark networks of cancer

Nevan J Krogan; Scott Lippman; David A Agard; Alan Ashworth; Trey Ideker

doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2015.05.008

The cancer cell map initiative: defining the hallmark networks of cancer

Mol Cell. 2015 May 21;58(4):690-8. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.05.008.

Authors

Nevan J Krogan¹, Scott Lippman², David A Agard³, Alan Ashworth⁴, Trey Ideker⁵

Affiliations

¹ California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; J. David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. Electronic address: nevan.krogan@ucsf.edu.
² Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA.
³ California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 92093, USA.
⁴ Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 92093, USA.
⁵ Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA. Electronic address: tideker@ucsd.edu.

Abstract

Progress in DNA sequencing has revealed the startling complexity of cancer genomes, which typically carry thousands of somatic mutations. However, it remains unclear which are the key driver mutations or dependencies in a given cancer and how these influence pathogenesis and response to therapy. Although tumors of similar types and clinical outcomes can have patterns of mutations that are strikingly different, it is becoming apparent that these mutations recurrently hijack the same hallmark molecular pathways and networks. For this reason, it is likely that successful interpretation of cancer genomes will require comprehensive knowledge of the molecular networks under selective pressure in oncogenesis. Here we announce the creation of a new effort, The Cancer Cell Map Initiative (CCMI), aimed at systematically detailing these complex interactions among cancer genes and how they differ between diseased and healthy states. We discuss recent progress that enables creation of these cancer cell maps across a range of tumor types and how they can be used to target networks disrupted in individual patients, significantly accelerating the development of precision medicine.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Gene Regulatory Networks*
Genome, Human / genetics*
Genome-Wide Association Study
Humans
Models, Genetic
Mutation*
Neoplasms / genetics*
Neoplasms / therapy
Precision Medicine
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Signal Transduction / genetics

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding