Generation of Human Tumor Atlases

In this Cancer Moonshot℠ seminar, Dr. Christina Curtis will describe her work in NCI’s Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN) and give an update on the human tumor atlases.

Little is known about how the biological composition and interactions within a tumor change over time and in response to cancer treatments. One of the 10 Blue Ribbon Panel report recommendations of the Cancer Moonshot is to focus on the generation of human tumor atlases that describe the various cellular, structural, and molecular characteristics of human cancers over time. Tumor atlases aim to reveal processes that underlie malignancy by characterizing tumor ecosystems from a diverse population of cancer patients. Additionally, there is a need for tumor atlases that map multiple stages in cancer, ranging from precancerous lesions to advanced cancer metastasis.

HTAN is a collaborative network that is constructing 3-dimensional atlases of the cellular, morphological, molecular features of human cancers over time. The network is generating atlases representing a diverse cancer patient population, including minority and underserved patients, as well as individuals with high-risk hereditary tumors.