Researcher Profiles
Mia Levy, MD, PhD
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
2016 Funding Recipient
Targeting Myelodysplastic Syndromes Through Research and Informatics: My Cancer Genome – MDS and Leukemia content
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center MDS Research Consortium Award
PROJECT SUMMARY
My Cancer Genome launched in 2011; it provides up-to-date information on genetic mutations that make cancers grow and how those mutations may affect cancer treatment. My Cancer Genome covers 22 diseases, 823 genes, and 321 mutations; this content was created by 66 contributors from 25 institutions in 10 countries. In total, there are 1,396 pages of content on My Cancer Genome. My Cancer Genome also includes a clinical trials search, allowing website visitors to look for trials for specific cancer types and genes. My Cancer Genome is a trustworthy website that ranks high in Google search results. My Cancer Genome receives about 9,400 visits per week.
My Cancer Genome has continued to work on adding and updating MDS and leukemia content. In the past year, My Cancer Genome updated four pages of MDS content. Updates were also made on seven leukemia pages on My Cancer Genome in the past year. Content in the area of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was added to My Cancer Genome, resulting in seven new pages. In addition, My Cancer Genome is working on new content in several additional types of hematologic cancers. MDS content has been contributed by Annette Kim, M.D., Ph.D., Steven Strickland, M.D., Ph.D., and Michael Savona, M.D. Leukemia content has been contributed by Madan Jagasia, M.B.B.S., M.S., Adam Seegmiller, M.D., Ph.D., Cindy Vnencak-Jones, Ph.D., Scott Wheeler, Ph.D., Valerie Brown, M.D., Ph.D., Scott Borinstein, M.D., Ph.D., Debra Friedman, M.D., and Aaron Shaver, M.D., Ph.D. CLL content has been contributed by Nishitha Reddy, M.B.B.S., M.S.C.I.
My Cancer Genome published brief gene content on 779 new genes in the past year, more than doubling the total number of pages on My Cancer Genome. This set of genes included all genes known to be altered in hematologic malignancies, including MDS. We also added 21 pages on cancer-relevant pathways, including 1 overview page and 20 individual pathway pages. In addition, in a collaboration with the Knowledge Management group at the Eskind Biomedical Library and funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, we created short videos to explain genetic concepts and created patient-friendly versions of My Cancer Genome. The patient-friendly content and videos can be accessed at www.mycancergenome.org/about/patient-focused-content/. There are 118 pages in lung cancer and melanoma available, and 36 videos. My Cancer Genome has also added links to the videos wherever relevant terms appear throughout the website.
My Cancer Genome has also created a framework to better communicate about prognostic biomarkers, which are biomarkers that can help physicians understand the likelihood of a particular disease outcome. My Cancer Genome had been focused on providing information on predictive biomarkers—in other words, genetic alterations that make a particular therapy more or less likely to be effective. In order to display these new types of information on its website, My Cancer Genome has undertaken a major website redesign.
PUBLICATIONS
Taylor AD, Micheel CM, Anderson IA, Levy MA, Lovly CL. The path(way) less traveled: A pathway-oriented approach to providing information about precision cancer medicine on My Cancer Genome. Translational Oncology 2016;9(2);163-165