Atlases

The Ludwig Tumor Atlas is a collaborative project involving US and European research laboratories that are part of Ludwig Cancer Research Centers and Branches and involves several types of solid cancer. Research at HMS is performed under the auspices of the Ludwig Center at Harvard Medical School. The overall aim of the Atlas is to investigate the molecular basis of intrinsic and acquired resistance to anti-cancer drugs and to develop disease management strategies and therapies that overcome or avoid such resistance. A full description of the projects, data, and publications related to the Ludwig Tumor Atlas can be viewed at the Ludwig Tumor Atlas website.

The BRAC1/2 Cancer Atlas involves leading cancer centers across the US focused on collecting and analyzing diverse genomic and imaging on BRAC1/2 breast and ovarian cancers. The goal of the effort is to understand pre-cancer states, develop new diagnostics that detect cancer before it spreads, and improve disease management and prevention strategies.

Melanoma is a highly immunogenic type of cancer treatable with minor surgery when localized to superficial layers of the skin but potentially lethal when it invades deep into the dermis and metastasizes. The Melanoma Pre-Cancer and Progression Atlas aims to identify the earliest molecular changes in pre-cancer and determine the sequence of events that ultimately leads to disseminated disease. This work is a component of the National Cancer Institute Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN)(a Cancer Moonshot Initiative) and Cancer Systems Biology Program.

The Harvard Tissue Atlas for Colorectal Cancer aims to advance our understanding of the complex spatial interactions that contribute to colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancers are complex assemblies of tumor, immune, and stromal cells that invade adjacent tissue and spread to distant sites. We use highly multiplexed tissue imaging, spatial statistics, and machine learning to identify cell types and states underlying morphological features of known diagnostic and prognostic significance in colorectal cancer. This work is a component of the Human Tumor Atlas Network.

The Tuberculosis Granuloma Atlas aims to transform our understanding of TB granulomas by using spatially resolved profiling methods that reveal bacterial, lung and immune cell organization, states, and communication within granulomas of different types.

The OMS Atlas Center based at the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) and led by Joe Gray is a component of the National Cancer Institute Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN), a multi-center program within the National Cancer Institute that emerged from the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot Initiative.

Liposarcomas originate from precursors of fat cells are one of 250 types of sarcoma and are relatively rare, but they have few effective treatments. The David Liposarcoma Research Collaboration is led by DFCI Investigator George Demetri and aims to transform the treatment of this rare, underfunded, and understudied disease. As part of this effort, the LSP is collecting highly multiplexed images of liposarcomas before and after treatment.