Unified Data Platform Speeds Blood Cancer Research

New open-source database combines genomic, gene expression and clinical data from nearly 6,000 blood cancer patients

Apr. 7, 2026 at 2:42am

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An abstract painting in muted earth tones of red, blue, and green, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circular patterns, and precise botanical spirals, conveying the complex interconnected nature of blood cancer biology.A new open-source data platform integrates comprehensive genomic and clinical insights to accelerate discoveries in blood cancer research.Memphis Today

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the American Society for Hematology (ASH), and the Munich Leukemia Laboratory have developed a data-sharing platform called the ASH HematOmics Program (ASHOP) that unites genomics, gene expression and clinical information from nearly 6,000 patients with blood cancers. The platform provides one of the most comprehensive blood cancer data collections to date, with built-in analysis tools to help researchers explore these datasets together in a single open resource, accelerating discovery in hematological malignancies.

Why it matters

Large genomic, transcriptomic and clinical datasets for blood cancers have been generated across many studies, but have remained disconnected. ASHOP brings these data together into one accessible platform so researchers can look at hematological malignancies more holistically and analyze them deeper to make novel discoveries that can advance treatment and care for blood cancer patients.

The details

The ASHOP platform includes data from 5,960 patients across multiple blood cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It combines whole genome sequencing, whole transcriptome sequencing and connected clinical outcomes from these samples in one place. Within the platform, users can leverage built-in tools to explore the data, looking at cancer types and subtypes, comparing patient groups, or investigating connected clinical outcomes, to perform complex analyses that were not possible before.

  • The ASHOP platform and its initial findings were published on April 6, 2026.

The players

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

A leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on catastrophic childhood diseases, including various blood cancers.

American Society for Hematology (ASH)

The world's largest professional society of hematologists working to conquer blood diseases.

Munich Leukemia Laboratory

A leading research institution in Germany that specializes in hematological malignancies.

Xin Zhou

Senior co-corresponding author and faculty member in the Department of Computational Biology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Robert Negrin

ASH president.

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What they’re saying

“ASHOP brings these data together into one accessible platform so researchers can look at hematological malignancies more holistically and analyze them deeper to make novel discoveries.”

— Xin Zhou, PhD, St. Jude Department of Computational Biology

“ASHOP is much more than a collection of hematology data; it's an interactive tool and resource that allows users to interrogate the data without the need for advanced coding skills.”

— Robert Negrin, MD, ASH president

What’s next

The ASHOP platform is now available at https://ashop.hematology.org for researchers to access and utilize the comprehensive blood cancer dataset.

The takeaway

This new unified data platform from St. Jude, ASH, and the Munich Leukemia Laboratory represents a major step forward in hematology research, empowering the broader scientific community to explore genomic and clinical connections in blood cancers that were previously siloed, accelerating the pace of discovery and potential for new treatments.