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Pre-Cancer Atlas (PCA)

A tumor (yellow) is shown in the background. Components within the microenvironment are overlaid on the tumor, including a dendritic cell (pink), a T-cell (blue), a fibroblast (purple and pink), a natural killer cell (dark blue), a regulatory t cell (aqua), blood vessels (red), a macrophage cell (red with a yellow center), and a myeloid cell (green).

The Pre-cancer Atlas (PCA) Research Centers are part of the Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN). HTAN, an NCI-collaborative program, is constructing multi-dimensional atlases of the cellular, morphological, molecular, and spatial features of human cancers and their surrounding microenvironments over time.

The atlases being created by HTAN describe important changes during cancer progression, such as the transition of precancers to malignant tumors, the evolution of metastatic cancer, and the development of treatment resistance.

HTAN is supported by the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP), NCI Division of Biology (DCB), the NCI Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), and the NCI Center for Strategic Science Initiatives (CSSI).

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About PCA

The Pre-cancer Atlas (PCA) Research Centers, along with the Human Tumor Atlas (HTA) Research Centers and a Data Coordinating Center (DCC), make up HTAN. Each PCA Research Center will create a 2D/3D precancer atlas of a pre-cancerous lesion, focusing on how it changes into cancer.

PCA Research Centers have three major tasks:

  • Collecting, processing, and labeling biospecimens.
  • Studying the molecular, cellular, and spatial details of the lesions.
  • Analyzing and modeling the data.

PCA Research Centers will collaborate with other components of HTAN to make the data and analytical tools available to the research community.

Grantee Details

PI Name PI Organization Title Grant Number Program Official
Cai, Long

California Institute Of Technology
United States

 Understanding the role of tumor microenvironment in low grade glioma progression to malignancy 4U01CA294551-02 Sidney Fu, M.D.
Ghobrial, Irene M.

Dana-Farber Cancer Inst
United States

 Myeloma multidimensional precancer atlas 4U01CA294507-02 Nicholas Hodges, Ph.D.
Sears, Rosalie C

Oregon Health & Science University
United States

 An atlas of pancreatic tumorigenesis in the context of altered DNA repair occurring in high-risk individuals 4U01CA294548-02 Indu Kohaar, Ph.D., M.Phil., M.Sc.
Shain, Alan Hunter

University Of California, San Francisco
United States

 Pre-cancer atlas of skin cancer 4U01CA294536-02 Nicholas Hodges, Ph.D.
Wang, Linghua

University Of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
United States

 Center for Gastric Pre-Cancer Atlas of Multidimensional Evolution in 3D (GAME3D) 4U01CA294518-02 Indu Kohaar, Ph.D., M.Phil., M.Sc.