Pediatric Cancer Genome Project: 10 Years of Discovery

In 2010, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine launched a $65 million, three-year project to sequence the complete normal and cancer genomes of 600 patients with childhood cancer. The goal was to define the genomic landscape of pediatric cancer, including some of the least understood and most challenging malignancies. The Pediatric Cancer Genome Project became the world’s most ambitious effort to discover the origins of childhood cancer and seek new cures.
Ten years later, the PCGP has led to great strides in childhood cancer research. The project yielded discoveries across 23 types of childhood cancers and the non-cancerous degenerative disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Researchers also found that about 10% of patients studied were born with genetic changes or mutations that increased their cancer risk. The findings have led to major initiatives by the National Cancer Institute to develop specific pediatric cancer therapies. The project’s data and its analytic and data-visualization tools are freely shared worldwide through St. Jude Cloud, the largest online repository of pediatric genomic data.
● Discover more about the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project: www.stjude.org...
● Learn more about St. Jude Cloud: www.stjude.cloud
● Follow @StJudeResearch across social media to learn about St. Jude science and clinical care.