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BRCA Exchange Aggregates Data on Thousands of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Variants

, by DCEG Staff

the BRCA exchange, first comprehensive global repository

A global resource that includes data on thousands of inherited variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes is available to the public. The BRCA Exchange was created through the BRCA Challenge, a long-term demonstration project initiated by the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) to enhance sharing of BRCA1/BRCA2 data. The BRCA Exchange website and new BRCA Exchange Mobile App allow clinicians to review expert classifications of variants in these major cancer predisposition genes as part of their individual assessment of complex questions related to cancer prevention, screening, and intervention for high-risk patients.

The five-year BRCA Challenge project was funded in part by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and through the Cancer Moonshot. A paper detailing the development of the BRCA Exchange was published January 8, 2019, by PLOS Genetics.

“This project has yielded a meta-analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants collected from multiple sources to understand how experts annotate specific mutations in the two genes,” said Stephen J. Chanock, M.D., director of the NCI Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and lead author of the paper. “There’s an urgent need for sharing data in cancer predisposition research. The BRCA Exchange is proof-of-principle that large-scale collaboration and data sharing can be achieved and can provide the latest and best quality information to enable clinicians and individuals to improve care.”

Read the full NIH Press Release.

Reference:

Cline M, Chanock S, et al. BRCA Challenge: BRCA Exchange as a global resource for variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2. PLOS Genetics. Dec. 26, 2018. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007752 [Epub ahead of print]

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