Genes hold an important key to our understanding of cancer and its underlying causes. A technology called next-generation sequencing, which significantly improves upon older gene sequencing methods, is revolutionizing the way cancer research is conducted. But the large amount of genomic data it produces has cancer researchers still figuring out the best ways to analyze the information. To address this urgent demand, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) joined with seven leading cancer research institutions to create a program called Project GENIE (Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange). Memorial Sloan Kettering physician-scientist Charles Sawyers is spearheading the effort, which was announced late last year. Beyond clinical decision-making, the data generated by GENIE can be used to identify and validate biomarkers—or, substances that may indicate the presence of cancer in the body—which can help with screening and diagnosis. They can also be used to identify additional mutations that can be targeted with drugs — either new drugs or existing ones.