DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
-
GWAS of Breast Cancer Subtypes Improves Understanding of Genetic Risk
Montserrat Garcia-Closas and colleagues report findings from a new genome-wide association study (GWAS) for breast cancer identifying 32 novel susceptibility loci. Importantly, this study reveals genetic risk for breast cancer subtypes and expands the potential for the development of subtype-specific polygenic risk scores.
-
HPV 35 Infection and Associated Cervical Precancer More Common Among Women of African Ancestry
Maisa Pinheiro, Julia Gage, and Lisa Mirabello in the Clinical Genetics Branch find African American women have more HPV 35 infections and HPV 35-associated cervical precancers than women of other races/ethnicities. Genomic analysis also revealed an association with the HPV 35 A2 sublineage and precancer/cancer in women of African ancestry. The highly-effective HPV vaccine covers seven oncogenic HPV types, but does not currently include HPV 35, therefore results from this study warrant further investigation on whether the addition of HPV 35 could provide better protection against cervical precancer for women in Africa or of African ancestry.
-
Meredith Shiels Receives WSA Mentoring and Leadership Award
Meredith Shiels was selected as the 2020 DCEG recipient of the Women Scientist Advisor’s Mentoring and Leadership Award, which recognizes investigators for exceptional dedication, leadership, and tireless efforts to promote and nurture NCI women scientists at all stages of their careers.
-
2020 Virtual Spring Town Hall Meeting
In May 2020, Director Stephen Chanock welcomed staff to the Spring Town Hall meeting to talk about new developments in the Division, and to recognize accomplishments over the past six months.
-
Applying DCEG Expertise to Study the Global Pandemic
Genomic studies, serology assay valuation, descriptive epidemiology studies, and other activities of DCEG investigators and staff in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
Mia Gaudet Joins DCEG as Senior Scientist of the Connect Study
Mia M. Gaudet, Ph.D., joined DCEG as the senior scientist for the Connect for Cancer Prevention Cohort in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program. Dr. Gaudet will oversee cohort management and activities as well as serve as the study’s chair in the DCEG Steering Committee.
-
Circulating Progesterone May Increase Breast Cancer Risk
Britton Trabert and collaborators find an association between circulating progesterone and increased breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women.
-
Genome-Wide Association Meta-Analysis Identifies Potential Cutaneous Melanoma Risk Loci
A new study identified 85 genomic loci associated with cutaneous melanoma risk using an integrative approach based on genome-wide association studies and transcriptome association approaches. These findings were published in Nature Genetics on April 27, 2020.
-
Erikka Loftfield Selected as Earl Stadtman Investigator
Erikka Loftfield was selected as an Earl Stadtman tenure-track investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch (MEB) in April 2020. Dr. Loftfield will develop an integrative research program investigating the interplay between diet, metabolism, the microbiome and genetics to advance current understanding of the relationship between diet and cancer.
-
Megan Clarke Selected as Earl Stadtman Investigator in the Clinical Genetics Branch
Dr. Clarke combines molecular, clinical, and population-based approaches to address etiology, prevention, and early detection of anogenital and endometrial cancers, yielding results that inform natural history and clinical management. She has designed and implemented several new studies that will establish long-term resources to address novel questions related to disease natural history and risk factors in racially diverse and underserved populations.
-
Gastrointestinal Cancers Global Burden Expected to Rise
Katherine McGlynn and Christian Abnet in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, examined the global burden of the five major types of gastrointestinal cancer, which include those of the stomach, liver, esophagus, pancreas, and colorectum.
-
Higher Daily Step Count Linked with Lower All-Cause Mortality
Pedro Saint-Maurice, Ph.D., Charles Matthews, Ph.D., and collaborators find taking more steps daily improves life expectancy.
-
Leveraging Genetics to Study African Ancestry in the Americas
Meredith Yeager, in the Cancer Genomics Research Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers in the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, conducted a genetic study to determine how different African groups contributed to the genetic structure of Caribbean, as well as, North, Central, and South American populations.
-
Laura Beane Freeman elected Women Scientist Advisor
In March 2019, Laura Beane-Freeman, Ph.D., was elected to serve as a Women Scientist Advisor for a term of three years.
-
NIH study provides genetic insights into osteosarcoma in children
Lisa Mirabello, Ph.D., senior investigator and Sharon Savage, M.D., branch chief, in the Clinical Genetics Branch, conducted a next-generation exome sequencing study of patients with osteosarcoma and found that 28% of patients carried a rare pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline variant in a cancer-susceptibility gene.
-
HLA-DPB1 Variants May Increase Risk of Severe Aplastic Anemia, Study Finds
Genetic variants in HLA-DPB1 are associated with increased risk of severe aplastic anemia and may offer etiologic insights, according to findings in The American Journal of Human Genetics on February 6, 2020.
-
Retrospective on the Informatics Tool Challenge: Driving Innovation and Creativity at DCEG
The Informatics Tool Challenge, launched in 2014, provides a unique, supplementary funding source for DCEG researchers seeking to create novel tools to enhance data collection, analysis, and other avenues of investigation. A sampling of tools that illustrate the growth and success of the Challenge are described.
-
Understanding the Role of Physical Activity, Obesity, and Diet in Cancer: Profile of Tenure-track Investigator Steven Moore
Tenure-track investigator, Steven C. Moore, Ph.D., M.P.H, has built a multidisciplinary research program in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch focused on understanding the contributions of physical activity, obesity, and diet to human cancer and overall health.
-
Progress Assessing Cancer Risk Using Clinical Practice Research Datalink
DCEG scientists use data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to investigate risk factors and exposures that may contribute to cancer risk, ranging from medication usage to genetic cancer predisposition.
-
APOBEC3-Induced Mutations in HPV 16 Viral Clearance
Bin Zhu, in the Biostatistics Branch, and Lisa Mirabello, in the Clinical Genetics Branch, conducted the largest HPV 16 whole-genome sequencing study to evaluate the contribution of genetic variation in HPV 16 to infection outcome. They found APOBEC3-induced mutations associated with benign cervical infections.