How will the initial phases of this effort to characterize the human cancer genome be structured?
The pilot phase of this effort will focus on addressing the wide range of challenges in cancer biology and technology that must be met in order to implement a successful large-scale human cancer genome project. The initial phases also will analyze whether the comprehensive cataloguing of the sequence changes in cancer will prove useful in understanding cancer and lead to new methods of diagnosis and treatment. A pilot program, which will determine the feasibility of a full-scale effort, is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2006. It is expected to take at least three years to complete. The pilot project will be funded jointly by NCI and NHGRI, and the management structure for the pilot will take advantage of the scientific knowledge and management expertise of both institutes. In addition, an external scientific committee of experts has been established to provide guidance on all aspects of the design and evaluation of the pilot project. The committee will work with NCI and NHGRI staff
