The management of information is also at the heart of The Genomic Data Commons (GDC) initiative in the United States, a system backed by the US Government to promote sharing of genomic and clinical data between researchers seeking a cure for cancer.

Run by the University of Chicago, the centre is part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) which is a component of the US Government’s recently launched National Cancer Moonshot. The GDC will centralise and make accessible data from large-scale NCI programmes and Acting NCI Director Douglas Lowy, M.D. said: “The power of data in the GDC will grow over time as data from more patients are included, and ultimately the GDC will accelerate our efforts in precision medicine.”

The GDC is is being run in collaboration with the Ontario Institute for Cancer ResearchExit Disclaimer, all under an NCI contract with Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick, Maryland. Louis M. Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., of the NCI, said. “With each new addition, the GDC will evolve into a smarter, more comprehensive knowledge system that will foster important discoveries in cancer research and increase the success of cancer treatment for patients.”