Mission

Welcome to the Pennsylvania Cancer Alliance Bioinformatics Consortium (PCABC).

Established to enhance translational and clinical cancer research, the Pennsylvania Cancer Alliance Bioinformatics Consortium (PCABC) is a unique partnership comprised of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), Fox Chase Cancer Center, Kimmel Cancer Center of Thomas Jefferson University, Penn State Cancer Institute, University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, the Wistar Institute. The principal investigator of the PCABC is Ronald B. Herberman, M.D. and the co-principal investigator is Michael Becich, M.D., Ph.D., both from the UPCI.

The PCABC received an initial $5.6 million grant in June 2002 from the Pennsylvania Department of Health as part of a peer-reviewed competition for Non-formula Tobacco Settlement funds. The Consortium has the goal of using the state’s investment to cooperate closely to use a shared bioinformatics approach to identify biomarkers that have usefulness for assisting in the diagnosis of cancer and/or for predicting response to treatment of cancer patients or the clinical course of their disease.

PCABC will initiate a Bioinformatics Data Warehouse and Biorepository Project to perform assays for tumor biomarkers that are considered promising for clinical applications, and to develop:

• A statewide data model for bioinformatics
• A statewide repository of serum and tissue samples
• A data model for biomarker data storage
• A public access website for disseminating research results and bioinformatics tools
• A strategic plan to support aggressive collaboration between industry and academia

The technological achievements and the statewide informatics infrastructure that will be established by the Consortium will enable unprecedented, robust and efficient studies of biomarkers and their relevance to the clinical course of cancer. Studies resulting from the creation of the PCABC may allow for better classification of cancer types, more accurate assessment of disease prognosis, a better ability to identify the most appropriate individuals for clinical trial participation, and better surrogate markers of disease progression and/or response to therapy. Of significance, the biorepository created through PCABC activities will be made available for use by researchers and institutions that are not part of this collaborative research effort. This will promote research among research institutions in the Commonwealth. The Consortium also plans to partner with the Pennsylvania Life Sciences Greenhouses, biotechnology and other commercial organizations to promote economic development in the Commonwealth.

For further information regarding the PCABC, please contact Nancy Whelan, Project Coordinator at 412.576.0300 or via email: whelannb@upmc.edu.