The ICGA Data Visualization Platform

The Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) provides a comprehensive, clinically annotated, multi-omics data visualization platform that enables an integrative understanding of cancer in the Indian population.

Powered by the cBioPortal framework, the ICGA Portal allows researchers to explore and analyze genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and clinical datasets through an intuitive and interactive interface. The platform currently hosts datasets beginning with Indian breast cancer cohorts and will expand to additional cancer types over time.

About the ICGA Portal

The ICGA Portal offers researchers a powerful gateway for accessing processed cancer genomic dataset curated by ICGA.  It enables researchers to perform exploratory and hypothesis-driven analyses while ensuring compliance with ethical, legal, and data governance frameworks.

The portal has been developed with philanthropic support (from Strand Life Sciences Ltd.) and reflects ICGA’s commitment to advancing cancer responsible data sharing.

introduction to ICGA Data Portal

Data Availability and Ethical Compliance

ICGA adheres to strict ethical and regulatory standards in data sharing.

  • All breast cancer datasets available through the portal are de-identified and limited to somatic mutations only
  • Germline data is not analyzed or shared. This restriction is a result of ethical approvals that ensure patient privacy and compliance with responsible data-use guidelines.
  • Data is generated and processed using standardized pipelines designed to ensure quality and compliance.

The portal provides secondary-level processed datasets, including:

  • Somatic variant data
  • Gene expression matrices
  • Proteomics summaries
  • Associated de-identified clinical metadata

Raw sequencing data (e.g., BAM, FASTQ) and raw proteomics data are not part of standard access.

Study Title: ICGA Breast Cancer Cohort

The ICGA Breast Cancer Cohort represents a foundational dataset within the ICGA program.

  • Tumor and matched adjacent non-tumor control samples
  • Treatment-naïve patients
  • Age range: 18–75 years
  • Multi-omics profiling including sequencing and proteomics
  • Clinically annotated datasets collected across multiple centers in India

Metadata of the ICGA’s cohort on breast cancer patients

Data Access

Due to the requirements of DPDP law, the ICGA currently follows a controlled access model governed by the Data Access Committee (DAC) in alignment with ICGA Data Policy and DBT PRIDE guidelines .

Application Process (Single-Step)

Researchers seeking access must submit a single consolidated application including:

  • Research proposal and objectives
  • Details of investigators and institutional affiliation
  • Data requirements (type and scope)
  • Data management and security plan
  • Timelines and expected outcomes
  • Ethical approvals or declarations
  • Conflict of interest disclosures
  • Any international or inter-institutional collaboration on the applied project

All applications are reviewed by the ICGA Data Access Committee (DAC).

Researchers interested in accessing the ICGA data should follow the given instructions. The submitted applications will be reviewed by the ICGA Data Access Committee (DAC). Incomplete applications will not be considered.

  1. ICGA data would be made available in the ICGA portal. 
  2. Any attempt to re-identify the individual whose data has been collected is not allowed.
  3. The authorized users cannot share the data with unauthorized parties.
  4. Any secondary data generated from the accessed data shall be submitted back to ICGA Portal. 
  5. The users should acknowledge ICGA in all oral and written presentations, disclosures, and publications resulting from any analyses of the ICGA data. The following format may be used for this purpose: “The results here are in whole or in part based upon data generated by the ICGA Network.”

Mode of Access

At present, data access will be provided primarily through the ICGA Portal environment.

This approach ensures:

  • Compliance with evolving Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) requirements
  • Secure, auditable access to sensitive genomic and clinical datasets
  • Prevention of unauthorized data transfer or misuse

Researchers will be able to explore and analyze datasets within the portal using available tools.

Downloadable Data (Conditional)

In specific cases, where there is clear scientific justification and upon DAC approval:

  • Processed somatic variant data (e.g., VCF files) may be provided in authorized DPDP-compliant environment

Such requests must demonstrate:

  • Strong scientific need beyond portal-based analysis
  • Adequate institutional data security measures [Encryption standards (at rest + in transit)]
  • Compliance with ICGA data governance and usage policies

Out of Scope Data

The following are not available for external sharing at this stage:

  • Raw sequencing data (e.g., BAM, FASTQ)
  • Raw proteomics data
  • Any data that may increase re-identification risk

Requests for such data will not be considered under the current policy framework.

To request access to ICGA data, please fill in the form given here.

Full and final approval will be followed by the signing of a data sharing agreement with ICGA.

ICGA Data, Resources, and Materials

ICGA is dedicated to advancing cancer research through an extensive process that involves:

  • Collecting diverse biospecimen and clinical metadata
  • Generating molecular analytes for detailed characterization
  • Applying advanced sequencing and molecular characterization methods
  • Providing accessible data for the research community

Conditions of Use

All approved users must comply with the following:

  • Data must be used strictly for the approved research purpose
  • No attempts to re-identify individuals
  • No sharing with unauthorized parties
  • All derived datasets must be shared back with ICGA
  • ICGA must be acknowledged in all publications and presentations

Suggested citation:

“The results [published or shown] here are based, in whole or in part, on data generated by the Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) Network: https://icga.in, https://icga.net.in.”

Requests for Biological Samples and Materials

Due to legal and ethical considerations, the ICGA is unable to accommodate requests for biological samples, analytes, or tissue materials. All cases within the ICGA program have been consented exclusively for ICGA use, and the redistribution of materials to outside parties is prohibited. Additionally, the majority of tissue samples have been depleted due to the multiple assays performed for ICGA research.

ICGA Data Portal