Network opens Gold Cohort data to researchers for the first time through new pilot program

Five pan-Canadian research teams will be the first to access data from Canada’s largest and most complete cancer case resource, after being selected to be part of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network’s Data Sharing and Use Pilot program.

The teams will access data from the Network’s Gold Cohort, which is on track to include clinical and genomic data (whole genome and transcriptome sequencing) from at least 15,000 diverse cancer patients treated in centres across the country. This resource, which so far includes data from over 10,000 patients, is also meant to evolve over time, with more cases and data types being added in the future.

Accessing this dataset for research purposes marks a major milestone in the Network’s efforts to accelerate precision oncology in Canada. Until now, researchers could only use data that they were generating as part of the Network for their own research. These new awards open the door for other Network scientists to leverage this rich dataset, enabling data sharing to accelerate discoveries that seek to transform cancer research and care in Canada.

“This is a historic moment for the Network,” says Dr. André Veillette, MOHCCN executive director. “By providing access to the combined Gold Cohort data resource, we are enabling researchers to start asking new questions at a scale that was never before possible in Canada while also refining our own processes for data sharing and access. These pilot projects will demonstrate the power of data sharing to drive innovation in precision oncology.”

For patients like Dan Murphy, who participated in a Network-supported clinical trial in Toronto and whose data is part of the Gold Cohort, the announcement is a major milestone. “Every patient who contributes their data to research hopes it will help someone else down the line,” says Murphy, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023 and who is a member of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group. “I’m glad my data will play a role in bringing hope to more cancer patients and am excited see how these projects pave the way for even more data sharing, fueling discoveries that could one day change outcomes for people like me.”

The award recipients and their project titles are:

• Drs. Marco Marra (BC Cancer and University of British Columbia), Sherri Christian (Memorial University of Newfoundland), Anthony Reiman (University of New Brunswick), and Jennifer Chan and Sorana Morrissy (University of Calgary) for Computational synthetic lethal analysis of MOHCCN genomic data to expand precision cancer genomic medicine options for glioblastoma multiforme patients
• Dr. Aly Karsan (BC Cancer) for Detection of Clonal Hematopoiesis Driven by Structural Variants
• Dr. Ian Watson (McGill University and the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute) for Combined analysis of MOHCCN Gold Cohort and TCGA/ICGC data to improve detection of low-frequency cancer driver genes
• Dr. Dave Cescon and Dr. Mitchell Elliott (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre) for Precision targeting of ecDNA-driven tumours through bioinformatic identification of synthetic lethal vulnerabilities
• Dr. Jennifer Chan (University of Calgary) for Improving assessment of immune cell infiltration in solid tumours
  

About the award

The Data Sharing and Use Pilot program was created to begin unlocking the potential of Canada’s largest and most complete cancer case resource. It not only allows research teams to access Gold Cohort data for the first time ever, but also provides a small amount of funding totalling $430,000 to facilitate data access.

Through these awards, the Network aims to:

• Test and validate data sharing and use policies before scaling to the larger Network;
• Demonstrate the value of data sharing for accelerating cancer research;
• Build national capacity for large-scale, data-driven precision oncology studies;
• Foster collaboration among researchers, clinicians, patients and institutions across Canada