NCI Cancer Research Data Commons: Lessons Learned and Future State.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Bioinformatics
• Data Science

Background:

• Scientific progress in cancer research requires integrating diverse datasets for better disease understanding and treatment development.
• Large-scale data sharing and analysis are crucial for advancing cancer research.
• The National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed the Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC) to address these needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the history and impact of the NCI Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC).
• To discuss lessons learned and future plans for the CRDC.
• To highlight the CRDC's role in promoting data sharing, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse in cancer research.

Main Methods:

• The CRDC is a cloud-based data science infrastructure.
• It allows researchers to perform analyses directly on the data, eliminating the need for large downloads and storage.
• The CRDC provides access to a comprehensive and expanding collection of cancer data and tools.

Main Results:

• The CRDC has significantly progressed over the past 10 years in providing data access and tools.
• It supports the cancer research community through training and outreach initiatives.
• The platform facilitates the combination of datasets for meaningful interpretations.

Conclusions:

• The CRDC is a vital resource for enabling big data sharing and analysis in cancer research.
• Its cloud-based infrastructure promotes efficient data utilization and accelerates the development of diagnostics and treatments.
• Future plans aim to further enhance data sharing, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse within the cancer research community.