CRDC Insights

Cancer researchers work with large and complex data sets, and data commons can make it easier to access, share, and analyze them. NCI’s Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC) is a cloud-based infrastructure that brings together cancer research data and analytical resources.  

The Imaging Data Commons (IDC), part of NCI’s Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC), a cloud-based data science infrastructure that connects cancer research data with analysis tools and resources, gives cancer researchers access to a large collection of medical images and related data. Researchers can use IDC to find CT scans, MRIs, pathology images, expert annotations, and other resources for cancer research.

The CRDC team, whether engaged in activities specific to the CRDC Data Commons, NCI Cloud Resource, or CRDC’s Core Services, remains focused on advancing its mission of making data and resources securely accessible to the cancer research community.   The following updates are current as of September 2026. New developments will be added on a rolling basis, continuing to highlight new datasets, software, or features that improve the user experience. Where available, Release Notes are provided for additional details.

In March 2026, the Genomic Data Commons (GDC) reached a major milestone: 233,000 unique visitors in a single month. Launched in 2016, the GDC was established to harmonize genomic data from several NCI-funded projects, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), one of the largest collaborations of its time. Today, researchers worldwide rely on the GDC for access to more than 10 petabytes of data across 91 project datasets.  

  The NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy sets clear expectations for NIH-funded research: scientific data should be made publicly accessible in a timely and responsible manner. The Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC) Submission Portal makes data sharing easier by providing cancer researchers with a single, unified entry point for submitting data across multiple CRDC Data Commons. Over the past two years, teams across the cancer research community have used the CRDC Submission Portal and are now sharing their experiences.