# Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics

> **NIH NIH P30** · RBHS -CANCER INSTITUTE OF NEW JERSEY · 2021 · $30,825

## Abstract

GENOMIC INSTABILITY AND CANCER GENETICS PROGRAM
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics (GICG) Program is organized around the central concepts
that cancer results from the accumulation of genomic alterations, and that well-defined descriptions of DNA
repair mechanisms, cancer genomes, and gene expression landscapes can reveal the vulnerability of
cancer to interventions. The overall goal is to determine how cells maintain the integrity of their genomes,
define the landscapes of cancer genomes, and facilitate identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
The GICG Program is composed of a highly qualified team of 44 members of diverse and complementary
expertise from 19 Departments, 7 Schools, and 2 Universities. Our research is funded by a total of $11.2
million annual direct funding, including $8.6 million cancer-relevant funding ($3 million annual direct funds
from NCI), 22 fully-cancer focused and NIH R01 equivalent research grants from 17 different and
independent PD/PIs, and 11 multi-PI awards. Productivity and collaboration within GICG is evident from the
significantly increased cancer-focused publications (586, up from 388 in 2004-2010), 30% collaborative
publications (up from 25% in 2004-2010) including those that are 17% intra- and 24% inter-programmatic
(up from 9.3% and 20% in 2004-2010), 54% inter-institutional collaborative publications, and 28% of the
publications are in top tier journals.
Achievements toward the scientific goals are exemplified by the demonstration of a distinct role of BRCA1-
PALB2 interaction in supporting conserved homologous combinational DNA repair and suppressing
mutagenic DNA single strand annealing, identification that the Pif1 DNA helicase overcomes replication fork
blocks at G4-rich regions, mechanistic elucidation of the gain-of-function p53 mutations in the regulation of
cancer metabolism and metastasis, discovery of two subtypes of oncocytomas with distinct mutational
signatures, and the discovery of increased mutation burden at the nuclear peripheral lamina chromosome
domains due to genome wide DNA repair heterogeneity. Translation and inter-programmatic interaction are
reflected by the contribution of GICG to the genomic analysis of tumors with the application of state-of-the-
art cancer genomic approaches as an integrated part of our clinical practice of Precision Medicine, new
clinical trials based on the understanding of genomic instability and cancer mutation burden, and laboratory
inquiries of new hypotheses emanating from the Clinical Investigations and Precision Therapeutics (CIPT)
Program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10112874
- **Project number:** 5P30CA072720-22
- **Recipient organization:** RBHS -CANCER INSTITUTE OF NEW JERSEY
- **Principal Investigator:** Zhiyuan Shen
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $30,825
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-03-01 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10112874

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10112874, Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics (5P30CA072720-22). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10112874. Licensed CC0.

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