Genomic Data Commons

The Genomic Data Commons (GDC) was developed by the National Cancer Institute to provide the cancer research community with “a unified data repository that enables data sharing across cancer genomic studies in support of precision medicine.” The GDC requires researchers to submit data and metadata in standardized ways, and validates and harmonizes the data for wider use.

The GDC’s website notes that “It is not just a database or a tool; it is an expandable knowledge network supporting the import and standardization of genomic and clinical data from cancer research programs.” It contains data from large, comprehensive cancer genomic datasets, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Therapies (TARGET).These datasets have been harmonized for the first time so that the data in different datasets  can be directly compared.