Frequently Asked Questions

No, all of the HCMI next-generation cancer models are derived from primary patient tissues.

The technical requirements of the project are rigorous, however, interested researchers should contact OCG (ocg@mail.nih.gov).

NCI Cancer Model Development page provides an overview of NCI model development pipeline. HCMI Resources page provides the following resources: 

1. Informed Consent Template for Tissue Accrual to Enable Model Development and Distribution

2. Case Report Forms for clinical data collection

3. Protocols for model expansion

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HCMI models can be obtained from a single third-party distributor, American Type Culture Collection (ATCC).

Available HCMI models can be found on HCMI Search Catalog page. Individual model pages contain a subset of model associated data, and a link to available associated molecular characterization and clinical data at NCI’s Genomic Data Commons (GDC). The link to the 3rd party HCMI Model Distributor is also available. The HCMI Searchable Catalog is a dynamic resource and is updated as model-associated data become available.

See the HCMI Searchable Catalog User Guide for guidance on navigating the Searchable Catalog.

Protocols for culturing and expanding HCMI models can be found on the ATCC website.

The model distributor provides technical support. For questions related to HCMI models, contact distributor ATCC by emailing distribtech@atcc.org.

HCMI Searchable Catalog is a continuously updated resource for querying the available next-generation models developed by HCMI. Within the Catalog, users can search by patient demographics, tumor, and model elements including age at diagnosis, sex, treatment information, clinical tumor diagnosis, primary site, clinical stage, and type of model (e.g. 3D-organoid, 2D-conditionally reprogrammed cells), etc. For additional assistance in navigating the Searchable Catalog, please see the “HCMI Searchable Catalog User Guide”.

For assistance in navigating the Searchable Catalog, please see the “HCMI Searchable Catalog User Guide”.

The initiative members plan to publish a joint comprehensive manuscript when the number of models released reaches a critical number. Therefore, the consortium requests that investigators do not publish a manuscript using a large cohort of HCMI models and data before the paper is published. Use and publication of up to five models is acceptable.

No, you do not need to obtain HCMI models in order to access the model-associated data. Available open- and controlled-access model-associated data can be found at NCI’s Genomic Data Commons.

A model's case-associated data include the data from the derived model, originating tumor tissue and normal tissue. Quality checked clinical, biospecimen, and molecular characterization data are available for HCMI models at NCI’s Genomic Data Commons (GDC). While the consortium aims to provide comprehensive data, availability of models' case-associated information may differ among cancer model development centers.

Models' case-associated clinical, biospecimen, and molecular characterization data are available at NCI’s Genomic Data Commons (GDC). New data is released at the GDC when it becomes available. The GDC uses an email listserv to provide information on data releases. Information about accessing controlled-access data, visit: https://ocg.cancer.gov/programs/hcmi/accessing-hcmi-data.

Please see HCMI publication guidelines for guidance on how to acknowledge HCMI. The initiative members plan to publish a joint comprehensive manuscript when the number of models released reaches a critical number. Therefore, the consortium requests that investigators do not publish a manuscript using a large cohort of HCMI models and data before the paper is published. Use and publication of up to five models is acceptable.