DoD Cancer Moonshot - Applied Proteogenomics Organizational Learning and Outcomes (APOLLO) Consortium (USUHS)
Abstract
Description: DoD’s Cancer Moonshot at USU’s MCC is a research program consisting of two overall projects, the first known as APOLLO (Applied Organizational Learning and Outcomes), and the second as DoD Framingham. APOLLO is a novel high-throughput molecular analysis of every DNA (gene), RNA, and protein expression molecule in cancer patient tumors. Such analysis has never been done on a large scale across multiple cancer types, and small pilot studies demonstrate that the APOLLO project will result in unprecedented findings across all types of cancer (with specific focus on cancers of the greatest threat to ASDMs). These new findings will be identified by using state-of-the-art tissue collection procedures in the operating rooms of all patients undergoing cancer surgery at MCC collection protocol sites (e.g.. Walter Reed NMMC;NMC Portsmouth; NMC San Diego; Womack AMC; Keesler AFB) and, then, sequencing the entire DNA genome and RNA sequence at USU, while analyzing the entire protein expression profile of these same cancers in MCC’s Proteomics Laboratory, as well as other affiliated protein laboratories. The vast molecular data that will be derived from these analyses (in the terabyte and petabyte range and beyond) will be linked to clinical patient data as well as treatment outcomes data. These combined data sets will be housed in National Cancer Institute (NCI) secure cloud-based servers with restricted access for analytics by teams of bioinformatics experts (i.e., from government, university, and corporate entities) across the United States working on this endeavor. This complete bio molecular (global) expression profiling of thousands of cancers of all types seen in military treatment and other facilities will predictably result in a myriad of new discoveries regarding the way cancers develop, progress, respond to treatment, evade treatment, and spread. It also will result in new ways to combat cancers and minimize side effects of cancer treatment, as well as identify novel cancer screening and prevention opportunities, while focusing on militarily-relevant cancers and ADSMs with cancer, distinguishing it from any effort that might develop in the future in a civilian organization, as none of this scale exists today. There are five specific APOLLO sub-projects, which are classified based on the organ type of cancer under study: APOLLO 1 = Lung cancer; APOLLO 2 = Gynecological cancer; APOLLO 3 = Prostate cancer; APOLLO 4 = Breast cancer; and APOLLO 5 = all other cancer types. Both of these projects in the DoD Cancer Moonshot program were specifically developed to focus on ADSM with cancer (readiness), utilize molecular laboratories that are American owned and operated (U.S. DoD and DOE), keep all sensitive de-identified clinical and molecular data on U.S. government computers and servers for maximum data security and analysis (through the NCI), and benefit the nation through any and all discoveries that are made.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Source ID
- 891c0bfe39ee17bed2dcba84ee649955