The Proteomic Data Commons (PDC) has upgraded its portal with new features that make it easier for researchers to explore proteomic data and link it with other cancer research data types. This updated 2.0 version enhances navigation, adds more information for each study, and offers clearer connections to related study data in the CRDC’s Genomic Data Commons (GDC) and Imaging Data Commons (IDC), as well as the Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA).   

This new version of its portal features a more user-friendly design with a prominent search bar, enhanced filters that highlight key clinical details, and expanded study descriptions showing how many files are available in each category. The PDC portal now also indicates when a study has related genomic or imaging data in other CRDC resources, making multi-modal analyses easier. 

PDC 2.0 introduces a new documentation and guidance center. This centralized resource brings together user guides, tutorials, visual data models, submission instructions, and API references to help researchers at all experience levels navigate the system. 

The PDC, led and stewarded by NCI’s Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research (OCCPR), houses datasets from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) as well as collaborative programs such as the International Cancer Proteogenome Consortium (ICPC), the Applied Proteogenomics OrganizationaL Learning and Outcomes (APOLLO) program, and the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN).

Xu Zhang, PhD, Program Manager at OCCPR, explained the importance of these updates in a recent interview for Multiomics Playbook – 4th Edition. She highlighted that integrating proteomic data with genomic, imaging, or clinical data is essential but can be challenging because each data type uses different identifiers and standards. She notes that the PDC and the broader CRDC team have developed data models and shared vocabularies to facilitate the integration and comparison of data across the CRDC’s data commons.  

Dr. Zhang emphasized the need for powerful computing resources to handle and analyze the growing volume of complex data. “In the coming years,” she said, “research based on integrated proteomic, genomic, imaging, and clinical data will become the cornerstone of precision medicine.”   

• Read the full interview on page 76 after downloading the Multiomics Playbook.
• Visit the PDC portal.
• View a detailed overview of the PDC 2.0 update.