This project includes two lung cancer studies and my work with the NIEHS sister study. The first is a case-control study of genetic susceptibility to lung cancer in African-Americans and Caucasians in Los Angeles. I conducted this study while a faculty member at the University of Southern California. I have examined a large number of genetic polymorphisms relevant to lung cancer in this study. The study is of modest size by current standards, but is still valuable for examining common polymorphisms. I am also collaborating with Dr. Stephen Chanock at NCI to examine variation in genes involved in inflammation in relation to lung cancer risk and to perform whole genome amplification. Laboratory work in Dr. Chanock's lab will being soon. A second study is a pooling project where I have contributed my lung cancer data to a collaborative study to pool across a number of lung cancer studies to provide sufficient power for studying gene-environment interactions. I serve on the advisory committee for this pooling project. The third lung cancer study is a collaboration with a prospective cohort study of men in Shanghai, China. This study is based at the University of Southern California. I have been investigating genetic, dietary and environmental factors for lung cancer in this cohort for the past several years. I have done this work using what is called a nested-case control study design. This uses samples from all diagnosed cases of lung cancer and a matched set of controls from the cohort who have not developed cancer. The major strengths of this study are the prospective design and the unique exposures of the Shanghai Cohort. I have published prospective studies of a gene-diet interaction (isothiocyanates and GSTM1 polymorphism) and IGF-1 in relation to lung cancer in the Shanghai Cohort. The genetic studies have used DNA extracted from archival serum samples which presents logistic challenges. This extramurally funded study has recently been renewed for an additional five years of follow-up by NCI. I wrote the portions of the grant dealing with lung cancer. The lung cancer work that was funded includes studying interactions between selenium levels in serum and polymorphisms in selenoproteins and another study of biomarkers of aflatoxin intake in interaction with polymorphisms in DNA repair genes. This study is extramurally funded. In other breast cancer research, I am also a collaborator on the Sister Study having been involved in the initial concept.
