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 29 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

Participating Labs

Academic labs as institutional members who participate in GOAL include access to (1) funding from a range of GOAL-sponsored genomic projects; (2) a real-time shared communication platform for crowd-sourced troubleshooting; (3) assay development and validation support, (4) participation in future shared reagent purchases and design initiatives, and so much more!

Recently Published:

See List Of Labs

Upcoming Events

GOAL Café: Tuesday, December 2nd at 3-4pET | 2-3pCT | 1-2pMT | 12p-1pPT: A members-only open forum for sharing challenges and expertise on technical NGS issues in the lab. 

GOAL 2025 Virtual Annual Meeting: Save the Date! Thursday, January 30th at 12:00p-4:00pET | 11:00a-3:00pCT | 10:00a-2:00pMT | 9:00a-1:00pPT. More details coming soon!

See More Events