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The ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has been awarded one of two research subcontracts by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., which operates the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. The subcontract is for a Cancer Model Development Center (CMDC), which will produce 150 patient-derived cancer cell models as part of the (HCMI). The HCMI is an international collaboration between the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom (UK), Cancer Research UK, and the Hubrecht Organoid Technology foundation in the Netherlands to build approximately 1,000 new genomically characterized, clinically annotated cancer organoid and cancer cell models that can be easily accessed by researchers worldwide to propel the development of new treatments.

“To fulfill the promise of cancer precision medicine, a sufficient number and diversity of laboratory-based cancer models must exist and be available to every researcher,” said Jesse Boehm, director of the ӳ����ý’s (CCLF, an institute effort launched in 2013 to create new cancer cell models) and associate director of the ӳ����ý Cancer Program. To create and deliver effective drugs, tailored to fight a patient’s specific cancer, researchers must determine the relationship between the genetic mutations in the tumor cells and the cellular processes that cancer drugs could help inhibit — in other words, the cancer’s Achilles’ heels.

Researchers at ӳ����ý and elsewhere have been working on a map of these vulnerabilities using cell models, but currently available cell lines do not reflect the diverse types of cancer that can strike — . The HCMI is generating additional new cell models for the research community to better represent the complex cancer landscape seen in patients today, scaling up efforts that the CCLF and other model developers have now proven feasible.

ӳ����ý will acquire patient tissue samples to develop the cell models (for the NCI-sponsored CMDC project) in collaboration with five partner institutions: , , , the , and the .

“This is one of the most exciting projects NCI has sponsored,” said , co-director with Boehm of the new CMDC and chief of neuropathology at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center. “There’s really been an explosion of excitement around these valuable cancer models, and this effort will allow the ӳ����ý and its clinical partners to accelerate the science of cancer modeling internationally.”

These collaborations are also designed to facilitate the creation of cancer models specifically from rare cancers, such as those in children, and underrepresented patient populations. “This is a tremendous opportunity to partner with the ӳ����ý in creating much-needed models of childhood cancers,” said , director of the Pediatric Solid Tumor Program at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s. “This partnership will allow us to broaden the scope of precision medicine in pediatric cancers.”

“The more we understand the molecular events associated with cancer initiation and progression, the better we can translate these findings into more effective prevention and treatment for our underrepresented minority population,” said , director of the BU-BMC Cancer Center. “BU-BMC is pleased to participate in this innovative collaboration.”

The CMDC contract with Leidos Biomedical Research builds on previous projects launched at ӳ����ý to tackle the underlying promise of cancer precision medicine: ensuring clinicians know which cancer drugs to give which patients. “To accomplish this, integrated efforts are needed in the clinic and in the laboratory, requiring the joint engagement and expertise of the entire ӳ����ý community,” said Boehm. “The opportunity to function as a CMDC, as part of the HCMI, is an amazing affirmation of the promise of team science to tackle cancer precision medicine challenges that transcend the capabilities of any one lab or institution.”

This project is fully funded by federal funds (funded by NCI Contract HHSN261201500003I, Task Order Number HHSN26100008).

About the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard

ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard was launched in 2004 to empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The ӳ����ý seeks to describe all the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods, and data openly to the entire scientific community.

Founded by MIT, Harvard, Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. ӳ����ý, the ӳ����ý includes faculty, professional staff, and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide. For further information about the ӳ����ý, go to .

For more information, contact:

ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard
Lee McGuire
617-714-8600
lmcguire@broadinstitute.org