NIST uncorks the bottle on entire pancreatic cancer genome

The secret to the success of the program was an anonymous cancer patient who fully consented to making the genetic code of her cancer cells publicly available.

In 2022, NIST started the Cancer Genome in a Bottle program as part of a major partnership between government, universities and industry to focus on fighting cancer. Specifically, the goal of the effort was to sequence cancer genomes to provide better detection capabilities and treatment accuracy. Many people expected good results within a decade. But NIST just dropped the equivalent of a research earthquake with the release of the entire pancreatic cancer genome, which is now freely available to researchers, clinical labs and drug companies to help develop lifesaving therapies and treatments.

The secret to the success of the program was an anonymous cancer patient, reportedly a 61-year-old woman who fully consented to making the genetic code of her cancer cells publicly available ...