Interested in learning more about informatics and its growing impact on cancer research and care? You’ll want to see these two recent articles, authored by experts who are making their mark in the cancer informatics field. 

The two articles appear in Cancer Discovery:

“Transforming Cancer Research Through Informatics”

• Key takeaways: Learn about the origins of cancer informatics. The authors examine how bioinformatics has evolved from its general-science roots to today’s specialized cancer research solutions. The authors also offer insight into the role of scientific open-source software and the future of cancer informatics.
• Authors: Dr. Juli Klemm, program director in NCI’s Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives; Dr. Dinah Singer, NCI’s deputy director for Scientific Strategy and Development; and Dr. Jill Mesirov, associate vice chancellor for Computational Health Sciences at the University of California-San Diego

“A New Era of Data-Driven Cancer Research and Care: Opportunities and Challenges”

• Key takeaways: Discover both the opportunities and challenges that cancer researchers and clinicians face today in translating massive volumes of data into effective solutions for everyday cancer care.
• Authors: A team of investigators funded through NCI’s Informatics Technology for Cancer Research program

“In conceptualizing our article, we wanted to give people, who may not be familiar with the field, a broad summary of how cancer informatics began and where it’s headed,” said NCI’s Dr. Klemm.

She added, “The second article, by Dr. Felicia Gomez and her colleagues, examines specific hurdles we face in discovering, using, and sharing data, as well as success stories to show the enormous impact that data-driven solutions can have on cancer treatment and care.”