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NCI Data Science at the 2024 AACR Annual Meeting
If you are attending the 2024 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting this year with your fellow scientists, you can connect with NCI staff and learn about what we are doing in data science at various sessions and at the NCI exhibit booth.
More information will be available as the event draws near, so please return to this webpage often! Follow us on X (Twitter) for information as well.
Sessions
If you’re attending this year’s meeting, don’t miss these cancer data science sessions:
April 6, 2024
12:30–2:30 p.m. PT
Emerging Data Analysis Methods for Cancer Research
Get an overview of emerging areas of data analysis in cancer research. This includes single-cell spatial omics analysis methods and artificial intelligence (AI) approaches; analysis methods for tumor phosphoproteomics; and an overview of the Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR) Training Network.
NCI Presenters: Jeremy Goecks, Ph.D. (ITCR), Carrie Wright, Ph.D. (ITCR), and Kristen Naegle, Ph.D. (ITCR)
April 7, 2024
1:00–2:00 p.m. PT
Year of Open Science: Impact of the Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC)
Celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the NCI CRDC with members of NCI CBIIT! You will hear an overview of the history of CRDC and its impact on open science. You’ll also learn of future plans to further promote data sharing, data accessibility, reuse, and interoperability.
NCI Presenters: Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, Ph.D. (CBIIT), Ina Felau (CBIIT), Tony Kerlavage, Ph.D. (CBIIT), and Erika Kim, Ph.D. (CBIIT)
April 7, 2024
6:00–8:00 p.m. PT
More information coming soon.
NCI Presenter: Juli Klemm, Ph.D. (ITCR)
April 8, 2024
2:20–2:45 p.m. PT
NCI Director’s Address and Fireside Chat
More information coming soon.
NCI Presenter: W. Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D.
April 8, 2024
3:00 p.m. PT
Pediatric Data Hour (“Meet the Expert” Session located at NCI Booth #1319)
Learn about the wide range of childhood cancer data resources available to the research and care community.
NCI Presenters: Danielle Daee, Ph.D. (DCCPS), Joe Flores-Toro, Ph.D. (CBIIT)
April 9, 2024
1:30 p.m. PT
NCI AI Activities and Resources (“Meet the Expert” Session located at NCI Booth #1319)
Hear more about opportunities for advancing cancer research with AI, FAIR resources for cancer AI research, and creating a learning community for safe and effective cancer AI research.
NCI Presenters: Jennifer Couch (DCB), Emily Greenspan, Ph.D. (CBIIT), and Juli Klemm (CSSI)
April 9, 2024
2:30–3:30 p.m. PT
Building on the Power of Data and Community
Stay informed on the dynamic landscape of research and care for childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancers. Learn more about the ongoing efforts of the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI), and discover resources available to you for accessing, analyzing, and contributing to this data.
NCI Presenters: Subashini Jagu, Ph.D. (CBIIT), Gregory Reaman (CCR), Ana Robles, Ph.D. (OCCPR), Malcolm Smith, M.D., Ph.D. (CIB), and Brigitte Widemann, M.D. (CCR)
April 9, 2024
2:30–4:00 p.m. PT
The Cancer MoonshotSM: Challenges to Fulfilling the Vision of the National Cancer Plan
You can hear NCI leadership discuss recent breakthroughs in cancer science and the promise of the National Cancer Plan. Leaders in the field will then talk about the opportunities in cancer research and the need for a concerted effort to inform Congress about the importance of continuing robust investments in NIH and NCI.
NCI Presenter: W. Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D.
April 10, 2024
10:15–11:15 a.m. PT
NCI AI Programs and Resources for Advancing Cancer Research
Learn about NCI funding opportunities, resources, and community activities that support the development and application of AI in research.
NCI Presenters: Jennifer Couch (DCB), Emily Greenspan, Ph.D. (CBIIT), and Juli Klemm (CSSI)
NCI Booth (#1319)
Stop by to discuss cancer data science topics with individuals from CBIIT.
April 7, 2024
1:00–5:00 p.m. PT, Joe Flores-Toro, Ph.D., Brandon Wright, Ph.D.
April 8, 2024
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. PT, Ying Huang, M.D.
3:00–5:00 p.m. PT, Emi Casas-Silva, Ph.D.
April 9, 2024
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. PT, Freddie Pruitt, Ph.D.
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT, Sylvia Gayle, Ph.D.
April 10, 2024
9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT, Emi Casas-Silva, Ph.D.
Poster Sessions
CRDC Exhibits
Check out the following posters featuring the NCI Cancer Research Data Commons’ Cloud Resources. Hear from and chat with representatives of these essential CRDC components.
During the Session, “New Algorithms, Software, and Models” | April 8, 2024, 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT
- CTD2 "Connects the Dots" to capture disease genes in complex networks and its application on the Cancer Genomics Cloud
During the Session, “Database Resources, Statistical Methods, and Other Tools” | April 8, 2024, 1:30–5:30 p.m. PT
NCI Presenter: Chelsea Owens
- Managing large-scale cancer research data programs
- The ISB Cancer Gateway in the Cloud (ISB-CGC): Access, explore and analyze large-scale cancer data through the Google Cloud
During the Session, “Profiling Cancer with Real-World Evidence” | April 9, 2024, 1:30–5:30 p.m. PT
- Leveraging real-world pancreatic cancer datasets to drive drug discovery and patient health
During the Session, “New Software Tools for Data Analysis” | April 10, 2024, 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT
- Optimizing proteomic data access and analysis in the cloud: Leveraging Terra's integration with the Proteomic Data Commons
- CGC-hosted comprehensive pipeline for spatial transcriptomics analysis
NCI-Department of Energy (DOE) Collaborations Exhibits
Check out the following posters featuring the NCI-DOE Collaboration projects like ATOM, MOSSAIC, and IMPROVE.
ATOM
During the Session, “DNA Damage and Repair 1” | April 7, 2024, 1:30–5:00 p.m. PT
NCI Presenter: Akihiro Ohashi (collaborator from the National Cancer Center of Japan)
- PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathways play important roles in chromosomal instability-induced innate immune response in cancer cells
MOSSAIC
During the Session, “Liquid Biopsy and Precision Oncology” | April 8, 2024, 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT
NCI Presenters: Zachary Fox and Patrycja Krawczuk (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
- Multimodal machine learning for the automatic classification of recurrent cancers
ATOM
During the Session, “Integrative Computational Approaches 1 / Analytic Pipeline Optimization” | April 9, 2024, 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT
NCI Presenters: Pinyi Lu (Frederick National Laboratory) and Akihiro Ohashi (collaborator from the National Cancer Center of Japan)
- Computational modeling-based discovery of novel anticancer drug candidates targeting centromere-associated protein E
IMPROVE
During the Session, “Integrative Cancer Science” | April 9, 2024, 1:30–5:00 p.m. ET
NCI Presenters: Ryan Weil (Frederick National Laboratory), Jeremy Jacobson and Sara Gosline (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
- The cancer omics and drug experimental response dataset (CODERData): A harmonized benchmark dataset for machine learning models of drug response prediction
Computational Resources for Cancer Research Portal
During the Session, “New Software Tools for Data Analysis” | April 10, 2024, 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT
NCI Presenters: Lynn Borkon (Frederick National Laboratory) and Lauren C. Lewis (Frederick National Laboratory)
- Improving FAIRness of computational approaches for cancer: The computational resources for cancer research portal
ITCR Exhibits
During the Session, “Application of Bioinformatics to Cancer Biology 1” | April 7, 2024, 1:30–5:00 p.m. PT
NCI Presenter: Oscar Ospina
- spatialGE: Empowering researchers to study the tumor microenvironment leveraging spatial transcriptomics
During the Session, “Preclinical Studies of Cancer” | April 10, 2024, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT
NCI Presenter: Zinaida Perova
- CancerModels.Org - An open global cancer research platform for patient-derived cancer models
During the Session, “New Software Tools for Data Analysis” | April 10, 2024, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT
NCI Presenter: Mary Goldman
- Visualization and analysis of cancer genomics data using UCSC Xena
Additional Opportunities
If you’re interested in funding and career training opportunities where you can apply data science, consider the following sessions:
- April 6, 2024, 1:30–2:30 p.m. PT | NCI Funding Opportunities and Grant Writing Strategies for New and Early-Stage Investigators
- April 8, 2024, 10:15–11:15 a.m. PT | NCI Funding Opportunities in Cancer Prevention and Interception
- April 8, 2024, 12:00–1:00 p.m. PT | Review and Funding of Foundational Cancer Biology Research at NIH & NCI
- April 9, 2024, 12:30–1:30 p.m. PT | Intramural and Extramural Training and Career Development Awards and Opportunities