The National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute will pool together some $100 million to fund a 3-year pilot phase of The Cancer Genome Atlas project, which aims to identify and collect all information known about genes and genetic variations linked to all forms of cancer.

"This atlas of genomic changes will provide new insights into the biological basis of cancer, which in turn will lead to new tests to detect cancer in its early, most treatable stages; new therapies to target cancer at its most vulnerable points; and, ultimately, new strategies to prevent cancer," said NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni in a release.

If this pilot study does meet its goals, it would be an important tool in cancer Diagnostics and drug development. This, and as the Genetics and Health Blog points out, Sanger Institute's Cancer Genome Project.

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