Bioinformatics, which is the convergence of biology, information science, and computation will play a critical role in the future of cancer biology and translational science. The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (LJMCCC) has multiple informatics and data resources that supports basic and clinical research. In general, these resources were developed to meet specialized needs and were not designed for optimal data sharing or integration with other information systems. Past informatics efforts in the Cancer Center have not had a unifying organizational structure, though such a structure allows for easier access to available resources and domain expertise. A robust informatics infrastructure also allows investigators to focus on research efforts without being mired in technical details. In recognition of these issues the Cancer Center leadership established the UMCCC Bioinformatics Core in July, 2004. The mission of the Core is to support the informatics needs of both basic and clinical science investigators by providing the technological infrastructure and informatics / regulatory expertise to ensure the reliable and secure acquisition, storage, analysis, and application of biomedical data from both patients and biospecimens in order to promote the quality of peer-reviewed publications as well as faster translational (i.e., bench to bedside) medicine that will ultimately lead to novel discoveries and improved patient care. The Core's foundation is based on two UMCCC-developed bioinformatics assets;Oncomine, a cancer microarray compendium and data mining platform, and Profiler;a web-based tissue biomarker evaluation system. In addition, the Core integrates a Clinical Outcomes Database/Registry (COD/R) which is an institutionally supported clinical research database system that now involves collaborative efforts with industry. Oncomine, Profiler, and COD/R are applications already actively being used by UMCCC investigators. Specific tools and services provided by the Core include: I) Support, integration and further development of Oncomine (e.g., myOncomine), Profiler, and COD/R;II) Participation in and interface with the Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) initiative, III) Education/consulting with regards to bioinformatics applications;IV) Custom programming: and V) Data integration and annotation. As data-intensive research increases at the Cancer Center, the Bioinformatics Core will continue to work towards expanding its capabilities and services in order to meet the growing demands of the investigators and also establish the UMCCC as a national leader in the field of cancer bioinformatics and its application to cancer research.
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