Update on the GENAYA Project: DNA from 500 Young Cancer Patients Analyzed
Should young people with cancer receive different treatment than older patients? We suspect they do, but there’s currently not enough data to answer this question. That’s why the GENAYA project was launched in 2022. Through GENAYA, we are analyzing the tumor DNA of a total of 1,000 young cancer patients. As of July 2025, we’ve completed our 500th analysis.
With patient consent, we store the results in a large database that also contains data from over 7,000 other patients. This allows researchers worldwide to compare the data and investigate whether—and how—the DNA of cancer in young people differs from that in older adults, and whether this could lead to more targeted treatments specifically for young patients.
Funding
This project is made possible through funding from the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding) and Fight Cancer Foundation. Illumina is also contributing to the project. Thanks to their support, more research can be conducted, and young cancer patients can receive comprehensive DNA analysis to determine whether there are any leads for targeted (clinical trial) treatments.
GENAYA Project
The GENAYA project (a national database of GENome data of Adolescent and Young Adult cancers) builds on the previously funded COMPRAYA infrastructure, which was also supported by KWF. For GENAYA, the Hartwig Medical Foundation performs diagnostic DNA analyses using whole genome sequencing.
Participating Hospitals
Currently, 37 hospitals are participating in the GENAYA project. This means they can enroll patients who meet the criteria to take part in the study.
More information: www.GENAYA.nl
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If the practitioner doesn’t know where the primary tumor is located, they cannot offer a targeted treatment plan, and nor can they give the patient an estimate of their life expectancy.