End-to-End Data Analysis for Accessible Cancer Diagnosis Tests

Current cancer diagnosis tests do not fully utilize the potential of the newest genomics technology. There is therefore a need over the next 5-10 years to develop better diagnosis tests. An ideal cancer diagnostics test should be portable and cheap to use to make the test accessible to everyone, and it should combine genomics data with data collected at hospitals for the best results. In this project, we will develop end-to-end technological solutions for cancer diagnosis tests that do this. It also needs to be accepted by the population. We will therefore also develop ethical guidelines for the use of genomics tests in Norway. To focus our efforts, and to work through an entire end-to-end cancer test, we will implement an early stage breast cancer diagnosis test that combines a blood test with the mammography test in use in the Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program. The success of this project will provide new scientific results, technologies, and ethical guidelines that enable the research and development of new diagnosis test for diseases such as cancer.

Current cancer diagnosis tests do not fully utilize the potential of current biotechnology instruments and integrated bioinformatics analyses. There is therefore a need over the next 5-10 years to develop novel molecular data based diagnosis tests. An ideal cancer diagnostics test should support the following requirements: (i) the sampling equipment should be portable and cheap to use to make the test accessible to everyone, (ii) the data processing should be efficient to support complex analyses at a low cost, (iii) the test should integrate molecular data with image data to improve the sensitivity and specificity of the test, and (iv) the test should adhere to the ethical guidelines and expectation of the society in order to be accepted. In this phase we will finish the phase 1 activities, communicate the results, and prepare for new directions for the project.