Authors:
 Muthana Al Abo, Daniel J. George, Steven R. Patierno, and Jennifer A. Freedman
 
 
 Affiliations:
 Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University
 
 
 Abstract Body:
 The rate of cancer incidence and mortality differ in populations of different ancestry. Comparative analyses of cancer specimens have identified race- and ethnicity-related differential mutation spectra and gene expression, RNA splicing, and epigenetic patterns. These findings suggest that race- and ethnicity-related molecular mechanisms have the potential to contribute to cancer aggressiveness in individuals of different racial and ethnic groups. Advances in technology have enabled researchers to perform high-throughput genome-wide analyses of cancer specimens, including of the exome, transcriptome, proteome, and methylome. Such analyses have generated large amounts of data, which can be challenging for many cancer researchers to analyze. In addition, although many user-friendly tools have been developed for mining big data, there is an urgent need for tools that enable the mining of big data by patient race and ethnicity. Here, we developed a user-friendly online application, CanSplice, that enables the cancer disparity research community to interactively navigate and visualize genomic datasets and perform comparative and correlative analyses. Additionally, researchers using CanSplice can evaluate the association between genomics and patient survival probability in the context of patient race and ethnicity. Uniquely, CanSplice enables exploration of RNA splicing datasets by race and ethnicity and analysis of the association between a given RNA splicing event and patient survival probability. Currently, CanSplice includes data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and TCGASpliceSeq; however, new data from additional cohorts will be added continuously. In conclusion, CanSplice is a user-friendly online application that enables innovative exploration of publicly available cancer genomic datasets by patient race and ethnicity for hypothesis generation. Identified targets can then be validated and investigated for functionality in the laboratory. Thus, data from CanSplice will further understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying cancer disparities and has the potential to aid in the development of novel precision medicine interventions to mitigate cancer disparities.
 
 
 Funding Acknowledgments:
 Financial support: This work was partially supported by a Prostate Cancer Foundation Movember Challenge Award #18CHAL04 to SRP, JAF, and DJG Multi-PI, and MA YI, a DoD Prostate Cancer Research Program Health Disparity Research Award PC131972 to SRP PI, JAF Co-I, and DJG Co-I, a NIH Feasibility Studies to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Cancer Research P20 Award 1P20-CA202925-01A1 to SRP Overall PI and JAF PI of Pilot Project One, a NIH Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities R01 Award R01CA220314 to SRP PI and JAF Co-I, a DoD Prostate Cancer Research Program Health Disparity Research Award PC180980 to DJG PI, JAF Co-I, SRP Co-I, and a DoD Lung Cancer Research Program Idea Development Award – New Investigator LC190367 to JAF PI.
 
 
 Corresponding Author Email:
 muthana.al.abo@duke.edu
 
 
 Conflict of Interest:
 Nothing to Disclose

CanSplice: a user-friendly web application for analysis of genomic datasets by race and ethnicity