Press Release 111009


	Press Release 111009


		FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ISB to Play Key Role in National Effort to Map Cancer Genome SEATTLE, WA , Nov 10, 2009 – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the Institute for Systems Biology, a non-profit biomolecular research institute based in Seattle, WA, nearly $8 million to help identify new drug targets and therapies for many of the most lethal cancers, in one of the most significant endeavors since the Human Genome Project: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The TCGA project, which is being run by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), will result in the mapping of more than 20 different forms of cancer. More than 500,000 Americans die from cancer every year. "This is truly a groundbreaking effort and we are very enthusiastic about our part in this national collaboration," said ISB Professor Ilya Shmulevich, who will serve as co-primary investigator on the grant. "Systems-level analyses of experimental data, involving mathematical modeling and engineering approaches, will improve our understanding of the molecular disruptions that occur in cancer." "ISB has been pioneering such approaches, which will be translated into personalized cancer therapies," Shmulevich said. The new funding will be used to launch the Center for Systems Analysis of the Cancer Regulome at ISB, which Shmulevich will lead. The term "regulome" refers to all the components of a cell that regulate its activity. Researchers in the Center will develop innovative bioinformatic and computational tools to analyze data generated by the TCGA Consortium, with the eventual goal of identifying new drug targets and therapies for cancer. The lab of Professor Wei Zhang, from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, will collaborate with ISB in this effort. Other Genome Data Analysis Centers selected by the NCI and NHGRI include: Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; University of California, Santa Cruz, CA; University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. Cancer Genome Atlas Grant About the Institute for Systems Biology The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is an internationally renowned, non-profit research institute headquartered in Seattle and dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. Founded by Leroy Hood, Alan Aderem and Ruedi Aebersold, ISB seeks to unravel the mysteries of human biology and identify strategies for predicting and preventing diseases such as cancer, diabetes and AIDS. ISB's systems approach integrates biology, computation and technological development, enabling scientists to analyze all elements in a biological system rather than one gene or protein at a time. Founded in 2000, the Institute has grown to 13 faculty and more than 280 staff members; an annual budget of nearly $40 million; and an extensive network of academic and industrial partners. For more information about ISB, visit http://www.systemsbiology.org.

		Media Inquiries Hsiao-Ching Chou Phone: 206-732-2157 Email