Count Me In

Count Me In (CMI) was a pioneering research initiative that was deeply committed to making every cancer patient’s experience count. Through participation, patients were empowered to help shape and propel research toward future changes in the course of cancer.

Since the launch of CMI in 2015, thousands of people living with cancer from around the United States and Canada have said “Count Me In” to partnering directly with researchers from the Broad Institute, to gain new insights into how tumors develop and why they often resist treatment.

From its inception, CMI placed patients at the center of discovery. By directly engaging individuals living with cancer and rare diseases through an innovative online platform, CMI built a powerful model for research — one rooted in trust, transparency, and the shared goal of accelerating scientific breakthroughs, no matter where patients lived or were treated.

To learn more about patient-partnered research initiatives at the Broad Institute, visit https://www.broadinstitute.org/patient-partnered-research.

Data and publications

Data from the CMI projects are available for use by cancer researchers worldwide. CMI datasets are hosted on cBioPortal and dbGap. Additional data will be made available as new datasets are collected and assessed for quality assurance and quality control.

Angiosarcoma Project (cBioPortal, dbGap)
Metastatic Breast Cancer Project (cBioPortal, dbGap)
Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project (cBioPortal, dbGap)

Publications stemming from CMI projects and data are indexed in the Broad publications archive.

Note on data access

dbGap is a controlled-access database operated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Access to CMI data stored on dbGap is governed by the NIH's Genomic Data Sharing policies.

Open projects

Pediatric Hepatocellular Carcinoma and HCC-like Tumor Project

Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma Project

Completed projects

Angiosarcoma Project
Brain Tumor Project
Colorectal Cancer Project
Esophageal and Stomach Cancer Project
Leiomyosarcoma Project
Metastatic Breast Cancer Project
Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project
Osteosarcoma Project

Count Me In Timeline

2015–2020

Count Me In launches as a new model for direct-to-patient cancer research.
Early partnerships form with patient advocates, clinicians, and researchers to co-develop study design and materials.

Initial projects include:
- Metastatic Breast Cancer Project (2015)
  - Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) Data Release
  - cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics data release
  - MedRXiv Publication: The Metastatic Breast Cancer Project: leveraging patient-partnered research to expand the clinical and genomic landscape of metastatic breast cancer and accelerate discoveries
- Angiosarcoma Project (2017)
  - Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) Data Release
  - cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics data release
  - Nature Publication: The Angiosarcoma Project: enabling genomic and clinical discoveries in a rare cancer through patient-partnered research
- Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project (2018)
- Esophageal & Stomach Cancer Project (2019)

2021–2022

Expansion into additional rare and common cancers:
- PE-CGS Grant Awarded - Enabling Osteosarcoma and LMS Projects (2021)
- Brain Tumor Project (2021)
- Colorectal Cancer Project (2022)
Data and discoveries from participants are shared with the global research community through open-access platforms.
Participant stories continue to help shape outreach, awareness, and scientific inquiry.

2023–2024

New tools launched to capture richer, patient-reported data, such as lifestyle and diet surveys, stool kits, and more.
Count Me In featured at major conferences and in media outlets such as BBC StoryWorks.
Partnerships deepen with advocacy groups across the U.S. and Canada.
New projects launched:
- Pediatric Hepatocellular Carcinoma Project (PediHCC, 2023)

2025

New project launched: Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma Project (tRCC, 2024)
Count Me In officially joins Broad Clinical Labs (BCL) to continue and expand patient-partnered research.
Over 12,000 patients have enrolled across all CMI projects to date.
Enrollment through JoinCountMeIn.org closes.
CMI's data, samples, and findings continue to support ongoing scientific discovery.