Welcome to the Genomics Organization for Academic Laboratories!

The Genomics Organization for Academic Laboratories (GOAL) began in 2018 as an informal network of academic genomic labs joining together to purchase next-generation sequencing reagents and to crowd-source a shared NGS assay design. Since then, GOAL has transformed into an academic consortium that has developed a non-profit organizational structure, enlisted faculty to lead and organize a variety of scholarly projects, established multiple industry partnerships, grown to 38 participant sites, and is currently implementing or evaluating proposed research projects. Read more about the young history of GOAL in a recently published article in Academic Pathology, GOAL: A Vision for the Future of Genomics in Academic Pathology.

GOAL’s mission is to drive the advancement of cutting-edge genomic testing at academic and non-profit laboratories by:

• Facilitating inter-institutional projects and data sharing, and
• Leveraging group resources and expertise to lower developmental and other barriers

GOAL will:

• Expand patient access to personalized genomic biomarker testing
• Promote consistent use of cancer genomic testing locally and nationally
• Establish standardization in molecular testing
• Accelerate implementation of tests for new biomarkers
• Drive future biomarker discovery

By lowering obstacles to genomic testing, GOAL will help laboratories offer more comprehensive genomic testing to more patients. This results in:

• Increased identification of targetable events leading to better targeted therapies for patients
• Increased accrual to clinical trials
• Accumulation of additional genomic data to inform hypothesis-driven inquires and future trial planning