Area of Research Emphasis (ARE) #2:
Carcinogenesis & Mutagenesis
Overview: Cancer continues to be a major health problem in the U.S. During 2008, for example, an estimated 1.5 million people in the U.S. will develop the disease and over 560,000 will die as a consequence. Cancer develops through a complex multistage process in which cells change in ways that lead them to continuously multiply, increasing the likelihood of genetic mutations and eventually causing cancer. During each stage of this process, a number of genetic and environmental factors can influence whether the affected cells develop into cancer cells. Researchers are working to understand the environmental causes of human cancer, the underlying mechanisms by which these environmental causes act, and the genetic factors that help determine how an individual reacts to various environmental exposures.
CEEH Connections: Eighteen researchers affiliated with the CEEH are working in this area of research emphasis. Many of these scientists focus on population-based studies of gene-environment interactions and various kinds of cancer. For example, Anneclaire De Roos and Scott Davis have examined the connections between exposure to organochlorines (a class of insecticides that includes DDT, chlordane, and dioxin) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Their work suggests that specific variants of genes related to immune function may influence an individual’s risk of developing this form of cancer. Other CEEH affiliates working in this area focus on the precise mechanisms by which cancer develops and the origins of DNA mutations.
ARE Director:
Dr. Thomas Vaughan, UW Dept. of Epidemiology
tvaughan@u.washington.edu
206-543-1065