Pediatric Center for Personal Cancer Genomics and Therapeutics
Pediatric cancer researchers have recently discovered that each child’s tumor is unique. The tumors do not have the same genetic mutations and sequences. Based upon these recent discoveries, researchers in the new pediatric center for personal cancer genomics and therapeutics aim to ultimately discover the genetic make-up of each child’s tumor.
The goal is to improve the treatment of children with cancer through identification of the specific genetic mutations responsible for their tumors. The center will use state-of-the-art genomic sequencing technologies to comprehensively analyze tumor samples from patients at Texas Children's Cancer Center.
Doctors and researchers at the center hope to eventually sequence all new pediatric cancers in the state – cancers affecting 1,000 children per year – in collaboration with investigators at other Texas academic centers.
The partnership between Texas Children's Cancer Center and the Human Genome Sequencing Center will facilitate groundbreaking studies of the genetics of pediatric cancers by engaging clinical & scientific resources.
As a part of Baylor College of Medicine, one of the top medical schools in the country, the center will benefit from existing resources, which will allow it to build upon a foundation of knowledge regarding tumor sequencing. In addition the center will coordinate with the Texas Cancer Research Biobank, which recently received over $7 million in funding from The Cancer Precvention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
The center is currently focusing on three core projects:
- The Pediatric Cancer Sequencing Project
Sequencing of tumor and blood samples from children with cancer to provide an unprecedented view of the genetic landscape of pediatric cancers. - Functional genomics
Analyzing the effects of mutations on tumor biology and developing tumor models that can be used to test new therapies. - Clinical cancer genomics and therapeutics
Incorporating genomic information into the routine clinical care of children with cancer.