Prominent cancer research/treatment network organization Omico has called for the Australian government to provide $280 million in funding for ‘molecular testing’ to avoid unnecessary radiation and chemo therapy.  This would be achieved by a patient database linking their data to relevant genes and proteins which in turn can indicate the right treatment options for patients. 

Dr Michael Mina, epidemiologist and Assistant Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has outlined a proposal in  a June 8, 2020 article in eLife for a Global Immunological Observatory which would establish a database storing antibodies test results (for infectious agents) from the public – eg blood donors or anyone willing to participate in such a program. He referred to such a system serving as a ‘weather vane’ for the ‘weather system’ of viruses at any point in time.

Such an idea might also extend to cancer indicator molecules such as aberrant proteins leaking from cancers to provide a control data set against which more routine testing could take place to detect elevated risks of cancer in a person such as the PSA test does with prostate cancer.

GGF potential contribution

The GGF Geneseeker software suite provides the tools to create a genetic library/database of cross links between oncogenes and unique protein expression signatures shown as GGF motif images.  This library might be a suitable adjunct to the Molecular Testing database proposed by Omico as it has overlapping aims. GGF Global Genomics Pty Ltd has already created a cloud database which could be shared with this library or vice a versa in the hope that populating such database- library will help develop cancer therapies.  A strategic alliance to build an ontology for the GGF algorithm leading to a database to service users of the GGF for research and development  (eg a ‘code library’ or ‘atlas’ of images linked to their DNA sequences) would be a valuable resource for researchers.

There is potential for a further use of the GGF Geneseeker software in relation to genetic testing of individual patients and this relates to oncogenes. Control data could be collected via a blood sample from patients of their proto oncogenes ie normal genes that when mutated present a cancer risk. The DNA sample taken from each patient could then be processed by the GGF Geneseeker algorithm to capture 15 key GGF motifs related to the reading frame or frames relevant to that oncogene. Then the patient might be tested annually (such as occurs with a PSA test for prostate cancer) for any change in the GGF motif as an early warning indicator. The Geneseeker software can take 15 frameshifts per execution of the algorithm which is designed to capture the correct reading frame for the oncogene. Simulations of such testing by GGF Global Genomics Pty Ltd show promise that such a test can be developed.