How high homocysteine and diet may affect prostate cancer in African American men
Elevated homocysteine in African American Prostate Cancer: Association with Diet and Dietary practices, evaluating its biomarker potential, and characterizing its tumor promoting function
This project is seeing if blood levels of homocysteine, methionine, and vitamin B6, together with diet history, can help find prostate cancer earlier in African American men.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11309592 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked to provide blood samples and answer questions about your usual diet and background, so researchers can measure homocysteine, methionine, and vitamin B6 levels. The team will compare those metabolite levels and dietary patterns with prostate cancer status and ancestry information to look for links specific to African American men. Laboratory experiments will also study how high homocysteine might encourage prostate tumors to grow or spread, using tumor samples and experimental models. Combining the blood markers into a panel aims to create a more accurate early-detection tool for men at higher risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: African American men, especially those with higher West African ancestry or elevated PSA who are willing to provide blood samples and complete diet questionnaires, would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Men without African ancestry or those with late-stage metastatic disease are less likely to gain direct benefit from the detection and prevention focus of this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a simple blood test and dietary guidance that help detect prostate cancer earlier and reduce dangerous spread in African American men.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies, including the investigators' own work, have linked homocysteine and diet to prostate cancer risk, but using a combined three-metabolite blood panel for early detection is relatively new and still experimental.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- Baylor College of Medicine — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sreekumar, Arun — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Sreekumar, Arun
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.