What is ROADMAPS?
ROADMAPS is an online, downloadable spreadsheet that compiles decades of preclinical testing data from the NCI’s Biological Testing Branch (BTB). It provides information on how more than 70 FDA-approved cancer drugs—both targeted therapies and traditional cytotoxic agents—perform when tested as single agents in 140 different human tumor xenograft models in mice.
The database includes detailed information on:
- Drug dosing regimens (amount, frequency, and schedule)
- Routes of administration (oral, intravenous, intraperitoneal, etc.)
- Tumor model types (colon, lung, breast, ovarian, melanoma, and more)
- Responses to treatment (sensitive vs. resistant tumors)
- Toxicity data (maximum weight loss, drug-related deaths)
- Vehicle formulations used in experiments
This makes ROADMAPS the first centralized, filterable resource of its kind, offering researchers a powerful tool for designing better preclinical studies.
Why is ROADMAPS Important?
Preclinical xenograft studies are a cornerstone of cancer drug development. They help researchers:
- Identify tolerable and effective dosing regimens before moving into clinical trials.
- Compare how different tumor types respond to the same drug.
- Detect early signs of toxicity or lack of efficacy at certain dose levels.
- Guide the design of drug combinations by starting with well-characterized single-agent data.
For example, ROADMAPS shows how the same drug can produce very different outcomes depending on dose schedule. In some breast cancer models, paclitaxel was effective when given daily but not when given less frequently—mirroring patterns seen in clinical practice.
What Can Researchers Do with ROADMAPS?
Researchers can filter the database by drug, tumor model, dose, or schedule to:
- Quickly identify dosing regimens that were effective and well tolerated.
- Avoid regimens that produced toxicity or no benefit.
- Explore models across a wide spectrum of cancers, including lung, colon, melanoma, breast, ovarian, lymphoma, leukemia, prostate, bladder, and rare tumor types (as shown in Figure 1 on page 5 of the Cancer Research article).
Ongoing Updates
The BTB continues to expand ROADMAPS with new studies, including patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and newer targeted therapies. Updated versions of the spreadsheet will be made available for download, ensuring the research community has access to the latest data.
Dataset
Additional Resources