To examin the role of epigenetic mechanisms in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and to provide evidence that epigenetic alterations may be used as markers of susceptibility to disease development and correction of those epigenetic abnormalities during hepatocarcinogenesis may be a crucial decisive factor in cancer prevention strategies. The goal of this project is to create new approaches and tools, termed epigenetic biomarkers that can be used in epidemiological and clinical studies to identify individuals in the population who may be susceptible to liver carcinogenesis, and considering the potential reversibility of epigenetic alterations, and opening novel cancer prevention approaches.
