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Call for expressions of interest — Australia's participation in the International Cancer Genome Consortium

Due date: Friday 29 August 2008

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Introduction

The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) is one of most ambitious biomedical and clinical research efforts since the Human Genome Project. The ICGC will coordinate international-scale research effort to understand the genomic, transcriptomic and epigenetic changes involved in the major forms of cancer. This information will lead to better ways of diagnosing, treating and preventing cancer.

Australia is a member of the ICGC through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The NHMRC will support an Australian contribution to the ICGC.

NHMRC is seeking expressions of interest

Expressions of interest are invited from research groups or consortia of research groups to undertake the Australian part of the ICGC initiative.

The final decision on the supported tumour type will be based on expert peer review of the bids received and the advice of the NHMRC’s Research Committee and Council.

The expression of interest should be no more than 10 pages overall excluding appendices, using 12 point font and single spacing throughout. The following items should be addressed in the expression of interest:

  1. The tumour type or subtype proposed
  2. Argument for why work on the proposed tumour should be Australia’s major contribution to the ICGC initiative (no more than 2 pages). Applicants should include the material at Appendix 1 as an addendum to their expression of interest
  3. Brief curriculum vitae details of the researchers (append full CV) and details of any research groups involved
  4. Brief details of clinicians and clinical centres involved in obtaining the tumour tissue
  5. Details on how ethical issues will be addressed
  6. Description of the scientific and technical ability to undertake the required analyses (no more than 5 pages), with particular reference to the matters detailed in the ICGC policy statement (http://www.icgc.org/files/ICGC_April_29_2008.pdf)
  7. A detailed 5-year budget for the full spectrum of work required by the ICGC.

Full details of the ICGC are available through their website – www.icgc.org.

Potential applicants are strongly advised to be thoroughly familiar with the requirements of the ICGC and that they take note of the scale of work required in relation to the selected cancer.

The NHMRC may seek further information from applicants prior to making a decision.

Applicants should note that the NHMRC will support only one group, working on a specific cancer type (or subtype). The NHMRC urges research groups to form consortia rather than competing bids for the one tumour type.

However, the NHMRC may consider providing limited support for Australian cancer researchers to participate in work on tumours being addressed by international groups, depending on resources being available.

Timeline

Expressions of interest are due with the NHMRC by close of business Friday 29 August 2008.

Applications should be forwarded in electronic form (preferably PDF) to icgc@nhmrc.gov.au.

Further information can be obtained from:

Dr Greg Ash
tel. 02 6217 9010
email greg.ash@nhmrc.gov.au

Background

The ICGC aims to study adult, childhood and adolescent cancers in all major organ systems including central nervous system, hemopoietic and lymphoid tissue, head, neck and nasopharynx, skin, lung, breast, oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, kidney, bladder and urinary tract, soft tissues, bone, pancreas, gall bladder and biliary system, liver, ovary, uterus, cervix, endocrine tissues, testis and prostate.

The ICGC expects to produce comprehensive catalogues of the full range of genetic mutations involved in the world’s major types of cancer, with key factors being the ability to detect all mutated cancer genes, data at the level of individual DNA bases, application of common standards for pathology and technology and comparison data from matched, non-tumour tissue.

The ICGC's main criteria for prioritising cancer types include: impact, such as the incidence and mortality rates, availability of therapies and age of onset; and feasibility, particularly the ability to obtain enough high-quality samples to conduct a large-scale project. The tumour’s importance and relevance based on its public health impact and unmet clinical need, and the potential for novel insights that might broadly inform cancer research need to be considered.

Cancer types or subtypes may be defined on pathological, molecular, etiological or geographical differences. In the case of tumour classes with multiple subtypes characterised by distinct clinical or biological behaviours, a balance may be drawn between studying 500 cases of exclusively one subtype and hence providing optimal power for that subtype, versus including multiple subtypes with lesser power for any one but enabling informative comparisons.

Studies to be carried out

The ICGC have published detailed requirements for the work to be carried out.

In summary, each tumour type or subtype is expected to include the full range of somatic mutations including single base substitutions, insertions, deletions, copy number changes, translocations and other chromosomal rearrangements. In addition, research groups or consortia must also be able to perform complementary analyses on the collected samples, particularly DNA methylation and RNA expression. Other analyses outside the scope of the ICGC are encouraged.

Consent issues

The ICGC will apply common standards for informed consent and ethical oversight, consistent with each country’s requirements. In Australia, the NHMRC expects participants to fully adhere to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. This will ensure that Australia conforms with the ICGC’s policies, which state that cancer patients enrolled in an ICGC-related study should be informed that their participation is voluntary, that their clinical care will not be affected by their participation and that data obtained from analyses using their samples will be made available to the international research community.

Appendix 1: Tumour type/subtype information   

  • Organ System
  • Histopathological subtype
  • Molecular subtype information
  • Etiological subtype information (such as an exposure to tobacco, virus, etc.)
  • Geographic origin of Donor
  • Ethnic Origin of Donor
  • Primary vs Metastatic Stage
  • Will 500 quality samples be available through prospective or retrospective collections?
  • If retrospective, are new consents required?
  • If prospective, please provide Year when first 100 samples will be available
  • If prospective, please provide Year when 500 samples will be available
  • Will a small percentage of samples be transferable to other sites/countries for QC purposes?

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