Infectious Agents

Hepatitis Viruses

• Laboratory of Ludmilla Prokunina-Olsson 
  Dr. Prokunina-Olsson's lab discovered a novel human interferon, IFN-λ4, by performing a follow-up of GWAS findings for clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The IFNL4 genotype plays a key role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, as well as in other conditions.

• Hepatitis Viruses and Liver Cancer 
  DCEG investigators conduct interdisciplinary collaborative studies that integrate epidemiology, virology, and human genetics to study chronic hepatitis virus infection, the cause of most hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines

• Costa Rica HPV Vaccine Trial (CVT) and Long-Term Follow-up
  A randomized, controlled phase III trial of a vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 infections and their associated cervical lesions in Costa Rica.
• ESCUDDO Efficacy Trial
  A study to determine if one dose of the HPV vaccines works as well as giving two doses of these vaccines to young women.
• PRIMAVERA Immunobridging Trial
  A non-inferiority trial comparing immunogenicity from one dose of bivalent HPV vaccine in girls to three doses of quadrivalent vaccine in women.
• PRISMA Efficacy Trial
  A study to determine if one dose of HPV vaccine is sufficient to reduce the risk of HPV infection in women, compared to no vaccine—the standard in the majority of the world.
• Study of HPV Vaccine Efficacy at Extracervical sites
  A study to determine the impact of HPV vaccination in preventing infections in the oral, vulvar, and anal regions.

HPV Clinical Screening and Management

• Anal Precancer and Cancer in HIV-Positive Men (Anal Cancer Screening Study)
  A study of anal cancer risk in HIV-positive men who have sex with men.
• ASC-US/LSIL Triage Study (ALTS)
  A study of the clinical management of low-grade cervical cytologic abnormalities.
• Biopsy Study to Improve Detection of Cervical Precancer
  A collaborative study on colposcopic biopsy that aims to study cervical disease on the lesion level, optimize criteria for biopsy placement, and analyze the incremental benefit of taking multiple biopsies.
• Cervical Cancer Screening Among HIV-Infected Women in India
  A study to evaluate a cohort of HIV-infected women using two novel and potentially sustainable, lower-cost tests for accurate screening for cervical cancer.
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Genomics Project
  This project is designed to interrogate the relationship between sequence changes in the HPV genome and carcinogenicity. There is huge variability in risk of precancer and cancer conferred by different HPV types that is poorly explained. HPV type 16 is known to cause half of all cervical cancer cases worldwide, however, the specific reason for its carcinogenicity has been elusive.
• STRIDES: Studying Risk and Improving Disparities of Cervical Cancer in Mississippi
  The NCI is partnering with the University of Mississippi Medical Center to evaluate risk of cervical precancer and to study novel biomarkers in women undergoing cervical cancer screening.
• Study to Understand Cervical Cancer Early Endpoints and Determinants (SUCCEED)
  A study to comprehensively assess biomarkers of risk for progressive cervical neoplasia, and thus develop a new set of biomarkers that can distinguish those at highest risk of cervical cancer from those with benign infection.

2022 IARC/NCI Workshop on HIV and Cancer

Experts discussed the state of the science, opportunities for future studies.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

• HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study
  HIV/AIDS cancer match study examines cancer risk among people living with HIV infection in the United States.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

• EBV-Associated Gastric Cancer
  DCEG studies of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and gastric cancer
• EBV Screening for the Early Detection of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
  The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) Screening for the Early Detection of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) in China demonstration project includes a group of approximately 52,000 men and women ages 30-69 recruited into the active screening arm of a community-randomized trial to evaluate the impact of EBV-based antibody screening on NPC mortality rates.
• Epidemiology of Burkitt Lymphoma in East African Children and Minors (EMBLEM)
  A large, multidisciplinary epidemiological effort to evaluate environmental and host factors associated with childhood Burkitt lymphoma in sub-Saharan Africa.

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

DCEG investigators are applying their expertise to accelerate our understanding of the range of outcomes in patients with COVID-19 and identify those at greatest risk of adverse outcomes. Collaboration and a multidisciplinary approach are the hallmarks of COVID-related research, often with local, state, or federal organizations, as well as international research groups all working together to advance discovery.

Interferon Treatment May Improve COVID-19 Outcomes

Study finds genetic variants in OAS1 influence severity; potential benefit of interferon treatment for COVID-19.

COVID-Mortality Tracker

A collaboration of epidemiologists and data scientists to monitor weekly U.S. trends in overall and cause-specific mortality since the onset of the pandemic. COVID-Mortality Tracker displays publicly-available provisional vital statistics data from the National Center for Vital Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Explore the COVID-Mortality Tracker. 

COVNET: Large-scale Genome-wide Association Study and Whole Genome Sequencing of COVID-19 Severity

A large genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify common and rare germline genetic variants associated with susceptibility to severe or fatal COVID-19 disease. Learn more about COVNET.

The COVIDcode Study

A collaboration with the National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to learn more about the genetic and immunologic contributions to the severity of disease of COVID-19. Distinct from COVNET, COVIDcode is actively enrolling study participants, including NIH Clinical Center patients and NIH staff. Learn more about COVIDcode.

The COV2Base Study

A collaboration with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to examine the effect of SARS-CoV2 infection on patients with rare diseases (e.g., Li-Fraumeni syndrome, DICER1-syndrome), quantifying the frequency and severity and looking for conditions that increase risk of severe outcomes. Additionally, this project will work to identify gene, tissue, or sociodemographic characteristics that increase risk of severe COVID outcomes that may inform future genetic modifier studies.

SeroHub: COVID-19 Seroprevalence Studies