Abstract A072: Polyethnic-1000: Advancing cancer genomics by studying ethnically diverse, underserved patient populations in New York

Abstract

Abstract Background and aims Advances in sequencing technologies have revolutionized our approaches in medicine. However, our current knowledge about the molecular attributes of cancer has primarily been derived from patients of European descent. The overall aim of Polyethnic-1000 is to bring genomic innovation to under-represented ethnic groups in the diverse patient population of New York City. Methods and results A dynamic research platform is being created, involving the New York Genome Center and academic centers and partnering hospitals in the New York City region. In a first, retrospective stage, the infra-structure, sample workflow, analysis and data sharing within the consortium has been developed and whole exome and RNA sequencing has been performed on 100 samples from self-identified non-white cancer patients treated at 14 different centers. Data from over 24 tumor types were shared with our collaborators and the somatic variants were made available through our in-house instance of cBioPortal. The knowledge gained during this stage is used to design a prospective study with formation of cohorts of interest for particular cancer types and particular ethnicities, with uniform consent allowing germline and somatic sequencing with broad data sharing of the somatic variants identified. Conclusion By establishing a collaborative network, Polyethnic-1000 will deepen our understanding of the contributions that ethnicities make to the incidence and biology of cancers, potentially improving outcomes for patients who currently lack access to the most recent advances in medical science. Citation Format: Benjamin Hubert, Fieke Froeling, Kanika Arora, Tim Chu, Nicolas Robine, Michael Zody, Dayna Oschwald, Harold Varmus, Charles Sawyers, David Tuveson. Polyethnic-1000: Advancing cancer genomics by studying ethnically diverse, underserved patient populations in New York [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr A072.