As you may remember, six months ago COSMIC launched new, improved beta download files. These new files contain the same gold standard data found in COSMIC's current files, but presented in a more accessible and interoperable manner. COSMIC aims to to lead by example in encouraging data to be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) compliant, and as part of this goal, COSMIC will be phasing out its current files for COSMIC v100. We want to help make this transition as smooth as possible, so keep reading to find out what changes have been made, why they've been made, and how these changes will benefit you.
These new files have been named "Beta" to help you distinguish them from the files you are used to, but they represent the final version and the content and layout are stable.
We will be phasing out current file formats in May 2024 in line with release v100, meaning that, we will be retiring our current download files and only the new style files will be available to download.
With this in mind, here’s how the COSMIC team is helping to ease this transition:
→ Get the details on COSMIC's latest release here.
COSMIC, the Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer, is the world's largest and most comprehensive resource for exploring the impact of somatic mutations in human cancer. When it was created in 2004 by researchers with the Cancer Genome Project in conjunction with the Sanger Institute, COSMIC was set up with a big ambition–to be the source of all cancer genomic knowledge.
Today, COSMIC contains nearly 24 million genomic variants across 6,800 precise forms of human cancer. It is the most expansive, expert-curated knowledge hub available for somatic NGS data analysis and interpretation. From molecular pathologists matching mutations to targeted therapies to bioinformaticians looking for patterns of DNA mutations in cancer cells, COSMIC is an excellent resource for identifying and understanding cancer mutations.
Now, as the demand for precision oncology increases, so does the need for a comprehensive cancer genomic knowledge base. Here are 5 reasons why you should be using COSMIC for biopharmaceutical research.
Precision is crucial in developing biopharmaceuticals. Unlike other somatic databases, COSMIC is meticulously and rigorously curated by a team of highly trained, PhD-level experts. This manual curation—the gold standard in genomic curation—ensures that every data point undergoes human scrutiny, giving scientists unparalleled confidence in the accuracy and consistency of the data they rely on. Through comprehensive literature searches, COSMIC’s experts have curated, standardized, and cataloged mutation data, phenotype information, and clinical details from over 1.5 million cancer samples and 29,000 peer-reviewed papers to date.
COSMIC provides an unmatched level of traceability for every data point, empowering scientists with transparency and fostering confidence in the presented evidence. With COSMIC, there is no 'black box'; each piece of information can be traced back to its source, providing users with complete visibility into its origins. This complete transparency is invaluable for biopharmaceutical scientists, especially when dealing with rare variants or variants of unknown significance. In these cases, users can independently assess each piece of data, exercising their judgment on whether to agree or disagree with COSMIC’s data for a particular variant.
In the pursuit of precision oncology, biopharmaceutical scientists must address a wide range of questions about somatic alterations as druggable targets. COSMIC stands as the largest repository of comprehensive genomic, phenotypic, and mutational characteristics of cancers. With COSMIC, you can obtain the most exhaustive information available on mutations associated with a specific cancer type, the frequency and tumor distribution of a specific alteration, driver oncogenic events, candidate therapeutic targets, and much more.
Furthermore, COSMIC’s Actionability functionality assists scientists in tracking and exploring drugs in various stages of development, monitoring the progress of clinical trials, and investigating drugs repurposed to target specific mutations.
And unlike other databases relying on volunteers, COSMIC is continually updated by its team of dedicated expert scientists, ensuring you have access to the accurate and up-to-date insights necessary to advance your translational research efforts.
In the dynamic field of biopharmaceuticals, adaptability is essential. COSMIC offers exceptional flexibility, enabling users to customize their data mining, visualization, and manipulation processes. COSMIC can be seamlessly integrated into your IT systems, allowing automatic updates or scheduled integration of newly released datasets to align with your individual workflow. COSMIC also allows you to customize filters according to your pipeline and fully integrate its data with proprietary databases to obtain a single comprehensive view. With COSMIC, you can easily align the data precisely with your unique research processes, enhancing your ability to extract actionable insights.
In biopharmaceutical research, credibility is earned through adoption. Over 50,000 molecular pathology labs, clinicians, bioinformaticians, and researchers worldwide trust and use COSMIC. It has also been cited in over 10,000 publications. Its extensive usage attests to its accuracy, consistency, and reliability. Recognized in the AMP/ASCO/CAP guidelines as a foundational evidence source for somatic variant assessments, COSMIC allows biopharmaceutical scientists to align their work with the highest standards in the field.
Trying COSMIC in your lab is easy. Simply visit the official COSMIC website, scroll to the bottom of the page, and "Request A Demo". One of our experts will contact you immediately about scheduling a free demo of COSMIC using your lab's data.
Around two decades ago, the amount of data about cancer genomes began to increase rapidly. Managing, viewing, and searching for data from disparate locations, publications and databases became a significant challenge for researchers, bioinformaticians, and clinicians. Simple spreadsheets were no longer adequate enough to capture and house the data either.
To solve these issues, scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute developed the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) in 2004. COSMIC is the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of somatic mutations in human cancers. Through manually curation by experts for over 16 years, COSMIC holds all previously siloed high-quality somatic mutation information in one platform. The most recent release details more than 37 million coding mutations across almost 1.5 million tumor samples covering 1460 forms of human cancers.
COSMIC has gained several valuable features and functionalities over the years. Most of the early enhancements were focused on standardizing the genotypic and phenotypic terms and data formats used— making it possible to analyze data across different studies and cancer types.
Some of the more recent additions to COSMIC are:
And now, joining the COSMIC suite is the new ‘Mutation Actionability in Precision Oncology” product.
Actionability provides up-to-date information on drugs that target specific somatic mutations at all stages of development— from early case studies to clinical development all the way through to market. With Actionability, you can stay informed on the currently available drugs for a specific somatic mutation, the reasons behind clinical trial withdrawals or terminations, and the mutations being investigated outside of clinical trials. It curates this information from multiple sources, including clinical trials, journal articles, conference abstracts, corporate websites, and FDA submissions.
The first release of Actionability features manually curated data on 805 drugs, 1657 drug combinations, 181 genes, and a total of 2798 trials. The data is available in three forms: as a table organized per gene, as a complete download file, and as a sample file.
Since its inception, the COSMIC database has achieved its foundational goal—to be the source of all cancer genomic knowledge. It is the most comprehensive somatic mutation database available in the world. Now, COSMIC drives future breakthroughs and advances in cancer research and treatment.
Want to find out more about COSMIC and how it can support your investigations of cancer-causing mutations? Then watch our on-demand webinar on COSMIC.
