Key to precision oncology is the development of expert databases that organize and standardize information on cancer-related genetic variants, as well as their associated diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications, in a way that is easily accessible to multiple users. COSMIC, the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer, was established nearly 20 years ago, and has been a gold-standard resource for this data ever since. Today, COSMIC is used on a daily basis in research labs, cancer centers, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies, where it comes into play as one of the key, trusted sources to analyze genomic data.
 
In this webinar, Dr. Zbyslaw Sondka, COSMIC's Senior Scientist, and Rebecca White, COSMIC's Scientific Communications Manager, will walk you through 3 key-aspects of the industry leading somatic mutation database. 
 
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
 

  • Apply the breadth and depth of COSMIC's high-quality somatic mutation data to identify proteins, biological processes, and pathways driving disease, which can be used to design new therapeutic approaches that precisely target causes of the malignancy on a molecular level.
  • Use tools and resources within COSMIC to bring actionable meaning to genomic data, such as the identification of driver mutations, functional biological consequences, and clinically significant somatic variants, which can aid diagnostics and treatment decisions.
  • Explain how COSMIC's expert curation process enables the accumulation and integration of data on rare cancers (over 1500 unique cancer types have been recorded to date), and how this data could enable the development of cross-cutting solutions based on molecular behaviors and genetic similarities between cancers rather than their origin-location.

 
Join us to learn how COSMIC enables users to experiment and innovate with confidence, and how our manual curation and rigorous data annotation processes assure unparalleled data quality.

About the speaker
Dr. Zbyslaw Sondka, Senior Scientist – COSMIC
Wellcome Sanger institute
Dr. Zbyslaw Sondka is a Senior Scientist in the COSMIC team. He works on the development and coordination of multiple research projects, including the Cancer Gene Census. The goal of these projects is to identify how somatic mutations can change functions of cancer-driving genes, and how these dysfunctions may drive oncogenesis.Prior to joining the COSMIC team, Dr. Zbyslaw was investigating the role of topoisomerase II in generation of gene fusions leading to therapy-related leukaemias, which develop after cancer treatment with topoisomerase inhibitor at Newcastle University.
Rebecca White, Scientific Communications Manager – COSMIC
Wellcome Sanger institute
Rebecca is a Science Communications specialist who recently joined the COSMIC team. She’s working to build a communications and marketing strategy for COSMIC’s science to increase awareness, education, and accessibility. Fundamental to this is understanding COSMIC’s audiences and the communication resources and platforms that will provide most value.Prior to joining the COSMIC team, Rebecca has worked on strategic communications projects in global health and cancer research. Highlights include disseminating the results of a global clinical trial investigating the use of tranexamic acid for traumatic brain injury (CRASH-3), designing creative communications and engaging corporate sponsors for the Stand Up to Cancer campaign at Cancer Research UK, and using a patient-involvement led approach to design innovative new products and communications.
Date of recording:Thursday 9 June 2022
Duration:60 minutes
Categories
Webinar
Human Genetics
Oncology
Bioinformatics
Informatics & Data