The present and future of the Cancer Dependency Map

Abstract

Despite tremendous progress in the past decade, the complex and heterogeneous nature of cancer complicates efforts to identify new therapies and therapeutic combinations that achieve durable responses in most patients. Further advances in cancer therapy will rely, in part, on the development of targeted therapeutics matched with the genetic and molecular characteristics of cancer. The Cancer Dependency Map (DepMap) is a large-scale data repository and research platform, aiming to systematically reveal the landscape of cancer vulnerabilities in thousands of genetically and molecularly annotated cancer models. DepMap is used routinely by cancer researchers and translational scientists and has facilitated the identification of several novel and selective therapeutic strategies for multiple cancer types that are being tested in the clinic. However, it is also clear that the current version of DepMap is not yet comprehensive. In this Perspective, we review (1) the impact and current uses of DepMap, (2) the opportunities to enhance DepMap to overcome its current limitations, and (3) the ongoing efforts to further improve and expand DepMap.