Unlocking Real-World Genomic Insights: Analysis Group Leverages AACR Project GENIE® Data for High-Impact, Mutation-Driven Oncology Research
May 5, 2025
Analysis Group researchers, in collaboration with Pfizer, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and participating cancer institutions, coauthored a study that was featured by AACR as a 2024 Publication Highlight. The study focused on metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with somatic homologous recombination repair (HRR) mutations.
The study leveraged data from AACR Project GENIE® (Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange) – a real-world clinico-genomic registry built through data sharing among a consortium of international cancer centers. GENIE is uniquely positioned to enable mutation-driven research in the oncology setting: It overcomes the limitations of EHR-derived data sources, which often lack genomic specificity or sufficient sample sizes for rare mutations. Through GENIE, the study team rapidly identified mCRPC patients with specific HRR mutations across multiple participating institutions, facilitating retrospective chart review across these institutions in an efficient, centralized manner that eliminates logistic challenges (e.g., ethics review, contracting).
Led by Chief Epidemiologist and Managing Principal Mei Sheng Duh, the Analysis Group team included Managing Principal Maral DerSarkissian, Vice President Priyanka Bobbili, Associates Aruna Muthukumar and Tracy Guo, and Senior Analysts Manasi Mohan and Adina Zhang, who collaborated with researchers from Pfizer, AACR, and participating Project GENIE clinical sites to conduct this retrospective study exploring treatment patterns and clinical outcomes among mCRPC patients with somatic HRR mutations. The study also benefited from direct collaboration with clinical experts, including senior author Dr. William K. Oh, M.D., Director of Precision Medicine at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital, who contributed critical clinical insights that strengthened the interpretation and relevance of the findings.
Since the study focused on HRR mutations (e.g., BRCA 1/2) that commonly occur across multiple tumor types beyond prostate cancer, it highlighted the GENIE model’s value for studying pan-tumor mutations where identifying and characterizing patients across diverse cancer types can be a significant challenge. For such studies, Analysis Group’s collaboration with AACR Project GENIE offers a proven, scalable, and efficient approach that enables robust research, which is not feasible with traditional RWD platforms alone, by combining high-quality sequencing data with chart review at cancer centers.
The article, “Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes Among Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer Harboring Homologous Recombination Repair Mutations,” was published in Clinical Genitourinary Cancer.