Sharing data from the Human Tumor Atlas Network through standards, infrastructure and community engagement

Data from the first phase of the Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN) are now available, comprising 8,425 biospecimens from 2,042 research participants profiled with more than 20 molecular assays. The data were generated to study the evolution from precancerous to advanced disease. The HTAN Data Coordinating Center (DCC) has enabled their dissemination and effective reuse. We describe the diverse datasets, how to access them, data standards, underlying infrastructure and governance approaches, and our methods to sustain community engagement. HTAN data can be accessed through the HTAN Portal, explored in visualization tools—including CellxGene, Minerva and cBioPortal—and analyzed in the cloud through the NCI Cancer Research Data Commons. Infrastructure was developed to enable data ingestion and dissemination through the Synapse platform. The HTAN DCC’s flexible and modular approach to sharing complex cancer research data offers valuable insights to other data-coordination efforts and researchers looking to leverage HTAN data.