Cancer is a major health problem in developed societies. It is anticipated that by 2015, lose to 100,000 people in the Netherlands will be
affected by cancer every year. Without further
improvements in treatment, approximately 50,000 will die from the disease. Improving diagnosis, therapy and cure rates are of great importance to patients and to society as a whole. Genomics is of increasing significance to cancer research.
Understanding the molecular basis of cancer is a prerequisite for
the generation of new tools for diagnosis and disease prognosis, as well as for developing novel molecular-based therapies. The research
programme of the Cancer Genomics Centre (CGC), established in 2002, spans all of these aspects.
The mission of the CGC is:
- To strengthen cancer genomics research in the Netherlands
- To improve understanding of the disease process and to translate this knowledge into economic and societal value
- To improve communication with stakeholders
- To establish a platform for cancer research, valorisation and communication.
The research programme of the CGC comprises three themes:
- New diagnostics by genomic profiling
- Novel therapeutic targets
- Molecular mechanisms of cancer
Additional information
Cancer Genomics Centre factsheet
Website
www.cancergenomics.nl