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Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN)
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About
Launched in 2018, the Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN) is an NCI-funded Cancer Moonshot initiative focused on building 3D atlases of human cancers. Through a network of Research Centers and a central Data Coordinating Center (DCC), HTAN maps out the molecular and cellular changes that occur as cancers develop and progress. The goal is to understand key transitions, such as:
How pre-malignant cells become cancerous
How tumors grow, spread, and respond to treatment
What drives resistance to therapies.
HTAN includes a broad range of cancer types, including those that disproportionately affect minority and underserved populations, hereditary cancers, and aggressive pediatric cancers.
The network manages data from 2,147 participants, 201,000 files from 30 bulk, single-cell, and spatial assays, and over 250 million cells—creating one of the most comprehensive resources for cancer research.
Phase 1 (2018–2024) brought together ten Research Centers and two pilot projects—the Pre-Cancer Atlas Pilot Project (PCAPP) and the Human Tumor Atlas Pilot Project (HTAPP). The DCC played a central role in coordinating efforts, developing data standards, and making the data available to the broader research community.
Now in Phase 2 (2024–2029), HTAN has expanded to support ten additional centers, building on the foundation of Phase 1 with improved analytical methods, a broader data model, and stronger integration across projects.
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My Role
I’m a Principal Investigator for the HTAN Data Coordinating Center, working across four DCC institutions and 20 HTAN atlas programs to support data ingestion, governance, and collaboration. As PI, I lead Sage Bionetworks' contribution to the DCC, including data model development, data ingestion and validation, and data governance. I am also the technical lead for imaging and spatial datasets.
Over the past few years, I’ve worked in different roles within HTAN, including as a scientist, imaging expert, data liaison, and data model manager. Through this, I’ve built strong connections with HTAN’s research centers, our DCC partners, and NCI.