# Program 09 Cancer Genetics

> **NIH NIH P30** · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · 2024 · $42,059

## Abstract

Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Program
Project Summary / Abstract
The overall mission of the DF/HCC Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Program (CG&E) is to advance and
accelerate our understanding of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that promote tumorigenesis, then
apply this knowledge to improve prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. The Program’s
large and vibrant membership includes investigators with a broad range of scientific interests spanning all
major aspects of cancer genetics and epigenetics. Particular areas of focus include: 1) cancer gene discovery
and functional characterization; 2) technology development and application (e.g., massively parallel
sequencing, emerging genomic technologies, and single cell analyses); 3) computational analysis (e.g.,
algorithm development, bioinformatics methods, and genome annotation); 4) epigenetic mechanisms of cancer
development and progression, including chromatin remodeling, enhancer and promoter hijacking, and
transcriptional driver genes; 5) interrogation of resistance mechanisms to cancer targeted therapy, both genetic
and epigenetic; 6) clinical cancer genetics, including risk counseling; and 7) delivery of state-of-the-art CLIA-
certified testing of both cancer gene panels and of whole exomes for cancer precision medicine.
The Program’s 115 members (68 primary and 47 secondary) represent six DF/HCC institutions and 17
academic departments. In 2019, peer-reviewed grant funding attributed to the Program was $9.7 million in
direct costs from the NCI and $10.8 million from other sponsors. During the current funding period, primary
CG&E members published 1,227 cancer-relevant papers. Of these, 34% were inter-institutional, 11% were
intra-programmatic, and 50% were inter-programmatic collaborations between two or more DF/HCC members.
These numbers reflect the Program’s extensive interactions with DF/HCC’s clinical, population science, and
other basic science Programs, nurtured under the aegis of the Center strategic plan. Since the last CCSG
renewal, the emphasis on epigenetic aspects of cancer has expanded considerably, prompting changes in
both name (the Program was previously called Cancer Genetics) and leadership (C. KadochDFCI is now one of
the three co-Leaders).
For the next CCSG funding period, our Specific Aims are to 1) Identify and functionally characterize the full
spectrum of cancer driver gene mutations, rearrangements, and amplifications and translate them to enable
precision medicine; 2) Determine the chromatin state and epigenetic architecture in multiple cancers, and
determine how specific aberrations affect transcription and interact with oncogenic mutations; and 3) Discover
the germline, somatic, and chromatin determinants of response and mechanisms of resistance to anticancer
therapy, including consideration of tumor heterogeneity, immune cell composition, and the microenvironment.
Each Aim will prioritize the cancers most prevalent in the Center’s catch...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10768670
- **Project number:** 5P30CA006516-59
- **Recipient organization:** DANA-FARBER CANCER INST
- **Principal Investigator:** Eliezer M Van Allen
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $42,059
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-03-10 → 2026-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10768670

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10768670, Program 09 Cancer Genetics (5P30CA006516-59). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10768670. Licensed CC0.

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