Who We Are
Our Mission
The Center for Childhood Cancer Genomics seeks to use population genomics to understand the causes of childhood cancer, improve outcomes of therapy, and mitigate late effects. The ultimate goal of Center research is to predict risk, enable early detection, and someday prevent childhood cancer.
Our Vision: A Future Without Childhood Cancer
We envision a future in which every child’s cancer is understood at the molecular level, enabling personalized, precision prediction. Our goal is early detection and prevention through genomics.
What We Do
Turning Genomic Discovery Into Impact
CCCG brings together University of Minnesota researchers united by a shared focus on childhood cancer genomics. Our work emphasizes germline variation across populations, integrative genomic analyses, family‑based studies, mutational epidemiology, and gene‑by‑environment (GxE) interactions.
The foundation of CCCG research is a collection of large, unique genomic datasets generated over decades by our members, complemented by an expanding ecosystem of national and international repository data. Our multidisciplinary expertise includes molecular and genetic epidemiology, statistical genetics, computational biology, cellular biology, and functional genomics.
Beyond discovery science, CCCG fosters collaboration across the University, organizes workshops and seminars on cutting‑edge technologies, and builds partnerships with national and global research organizations.
Our Story
The Childhood Cancer Genomics Group was founded in 2020 by Dr. Logan Spector with a foundational gift from the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. Over the next five years, the group secured more than $35M in federal funding and produced numerous landmark studies, including:
- The first exome‑wide investigation of de novo pathogenic variants in osteosarcoma (and possibly any cancer)
- The first genome‑wide association study (GWAS) of B‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia among African American children
- The first GWAS of hepatoblastoma
- The first GWAS of pediatric germ cell tumors
- The first polygenic risk model for second cancers among childhood cancer survivors
In 2026, the group evolved into the Center for Childhood Cancer Genomics, expanding its mission to unify, educate, and support researchers across campus in the collective goal of predicting, detecting, and preventing childhood cancer.
Manhattan plot of single nucleotide polymorphism associations with B-ALL in African-American children from Im, et al., 2025, Nature Communications.