The Participant Engagement and Cancer Genome Sequencing (PE-CGS) Network is affiliated with the Cancer Moonshot Initiative which aims to increase cancer research. The PE-CGS Network specifically addresses the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Panel to “establish a network for direct patient engagement” to allow for patients to participate in research and become involved in the research enterprise.
The PE-CGS Network includes several research centers which work in collaboration and one coordinating center. Each research centers includes an administrative core, participant engagement unit, genome characterization unit, and engagement optimization unit.
The goals of the PE-CGS Network include the following:
- To encourage research on methods with direct engagement of participants, including cancer patients and post-treatment cancer survivors
- To use these methods for genome sequencing initiatives regarding gaps in knowledge of genomic characterizations of tumors. Examples of these areas include:
- Rare cancers
- Cancers with low survival rates
- Early-onset cancers
- Cancers with large disparities in frequency and/or mortality
- Cancers within understudied populations