Cancer Knowledgebase (CKB)

Cancer Knowledgebase (CKB), powered by Genomenon, is a dynamic digital resource designed to interpret complex cancer genomic profiles. Used by thousands of clinicians and researchers across the globe, CKB bridges cancer genomics research and clinical care by linking genetic variants with therapies, clinical trials, and evidence — empowering faster, more confident decisions and advancing precision medicine. In May 2024, CKB became part of Genomenon, enabling an unprecedented understanding of the genome with insights covering both germline and somatic variants.

CKB serves two primary audiences: translational and clinical researchers exploring preclinical and clinical data, and clinicians seeking to make the best-informed treatment decisions for patients with complex tumor genomic profiles. The knowledgebase covers more than 2,200 cancer genes, 50,000+ cancer variants, 16,000+ clinical trials, 5,700+ targeted therapies, and 47,000+ unique efficacy evidence entries — all curated and updated daily by a team of PhD scientists.

Preclinical Research Applications

• Identify new drugs and drug combinations currently being tested preclinically, offering potential options for future clinical development even before therapies reach clinical trials.
• Identify possible resistance variants by assessing drug resistance levels in controlled cell lines expressing presumed resistance variants, helping confirm whether a variant may drive resistance to a specific drug.
• Identify resistance mechanisms relevant to drug development, including commonly observed resistance variants that could inform the development of new therapies.

Clinical Applications

• Reduce turnaround time by viewing and interpreting variant information instantly, minimizing the need for additional external research.
• Unlock therapeutic interventions by identifying the best treatment options for patients, from approved drug labels to active clinical trials.
• Increase clinician confidence in the completeness and accuracy of information related to a patient's tumor genomic profile, ensuring best-informed clinical decisions.
• Access premium curated content updated daily by PhD scientists to keep clinical teams equipped with the latest evidence-based insights.

Key Features and Annotations

• Insights at the gene and variant level, covering targeted therapies, unique efficacy evidence, and connections between diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.
• Protein effect annotations for individual variants.
• Variant Navigator, including an interactive map feature enabling users to easily identify variants within an exon or region.
• AMP/ASCO/CAP variant tier classifications.
• Approved therapies and therapeutic intervention data.
• Diagnostic and prognostic implication annotations.
• Case report data and category variant relationship mapping — capabilities not available in competing knowledgebases.
• Preclinical evidence included alongside clinical trial data at the variant level.

CKB Offerings Compared

• CKB CORE™ is the free, public-access version encompassing 50 cancer-related genes. Every quarter, a select group of genes is exchanged with a focus on a specific theme. Users can search by gene and gene variant, making it an easy way to explore the platform before upgrading.
• CKB BOOST™ is the web-based subscription version, providing access to more than 2,200 cancer-related genes. It supports advanced search capabilities, full access to global drug approvals, drug classes, clinical trials, efficacy evidence, and variant tier coding (AMP/CAP/ASCO), and is designed to interrogate the knowledgebase for specific data attributes while enabling robust browsing when desired content is unknown.
• CKB FLEX™ delivers CKB content as a flat file or JSON for system integration, enabling scalable and flexible content integration for all 2,200+ genes into existing workflows and platforms.

How CKB Compares to Other Knowledgebases

• CKB curates 2,239 genes, compared to 978 in OncoKB and 1,500 in HSMD.
• CKB covers 50,000+ curated variants and 5,700 drugs, significantly exceeding OncoKB's 10,623 variants and 159 drugs.
• CKB provides 16,348 clinical trials linked at the variant level; OncoKB offers no clinical trial data, and HSMD provides 8,600 trials only at the gene level.
• CKB includes preclinical evidence and case report data, features not available in HSMD, and case report data not available in OncoKB.
• CKB supports category variant relationships, a capability absent from both OncoKB and HSMD.

CKB is available as a web-based platform with system integration capabilities via CKB FLEX, supporting automated genomic interpretation workflows. The platform is used by leading institutions such as Hartwig Medical Foundation, where it enables comprehensive and reliable interpretation of any genomic test in a fully automated setting. CKB is part of Genomenon's broader suite of genomic intelligence solutions, which also includes the Mastermind platform for germline variant interpretation.