Powerful Research
It’s difficult to consistently interpret cancer-related genetic changes found in laboratory tests because different systems choose different versions of genes to analyse, and researchers need a standard, repeatable way to combine those results with trusted cancer knowledge (such as OncoKB).
Results
The researchers developed a new software tool called SMART (Somatic Mutation Annotation and Reporting Tool). SMART helps researchers understand genetic changes found in cancer by bringing together information from several trusted scientific databases into one consistent process.
The tool automatically adds information about whether a genetic change is linked to:
- possible treatment options,
- resistance to certain treatments,
- helping to diagnose a type of cancer,
- or predicting how a cancer might behave.
It also uses a standard approach to decide which version of a gene should be analysed, helping to ensure that different researchers reach the same conclusions when looking at the same data.
The researchers tested SMART against established reference systems and found that it produced results that matched them in every case they checked.