Connecting cancer patients to genomic testing and data sharing
Participant Engagement Unit
This program invites people with advanced cancers, including colorectal and bile-duct cancers, to provide tumor and normal samples and medical information so they can get genomic results and contribute to cancer knowledge.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11191580 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You may be contacted and invited to join a Washington University program that helps find, contact, and consent patients with advanced cancer. If you join, the team will help collect tumor and normal tissue or blood samples, gather your clinical and treatment information, and keep those data updated over time. The program aims to return research findings back to participants using patient-friendly tools and to guide you through the process of sample collection and result sharing. Patient groups are partnered with the team to shape how participants are engaged and how results are communicated.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with advanced cancers—especially colorectal cancer or cholangiocarcinoma—who can consent, provide tumor and/or normal samples, and share medical records and treatment data.
Not a fit: People without cancer, those unwilling or unable to provide samples or medical data, or those whose tumors cannot be sampled are unlikely to benefit directly from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, participants could receive genomic findings from their tumor that might inform treatment choices and help guide future cancer care.
How similar studies have performed: Other patient-engagement and tumor-sequencing programs have sometimes identified clinically useful genetic findings for patients, though outcomes vary and are not guaranteed.
Where this research is happening
Saint Louis, United States
- Washington University — Saint Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fields, Ryan C — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Fields, Ryan C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.