Introduction
The Norwegian Sarcoma Consortium is a collaboration research project with a number of subprojects. Our main focus is to collect samples from a population-based cohort of sarcoma patients attending the sarcoma centres in all Norwegian health regions. These samples are then analysed by “next-generation sequencing” a powerful technique by which we can determine the structure of all genes, compares each gene in the blood cells and the tumour from each patient, and thus determine which genes are mutated in the cancer. These mutations may reveal mechanisms in the tumour that could be Achilles heels to target by new treatments. In several subprojects such possibilities are investigated in sarcoma models, and if successful may lead to trrials in patients.
These are our main objectives:
- Collection of a population-based biobank of samples from sarcoma patients in all health regions of Norway over more than 3 years
- Next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis to identify possibly targetable mutated driver mechanisms and possible genetic predisposing factors
- Preclinical investigations to determine efficacy of available drugs in sarcoma cells in vitro
- Medium-throughput drug screens to identify drugs with in vitro efficacy against sarcoma cells
- In vivo validation of promising drugs in sarcoma xenograft models
- Initiation of small-scale national and international clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of new drugs in sarcoma patients