Improving prostate cancer genetic risk prediction across diverse ancestries
Multiethnic GWAS and TWAS to Inform Risk Prediction for Prostate Cancer
This project will use large genetic datasets from men of different ancestries to build better tools that predict who is more likely to develop prostate cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11401266 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are combining DNA and health information from tens to hundreds of thousands of men of European, African, Asian, and Latino ancestry to find genetic differences linked to prostate cancer. They will look for common and ancestry-specific risk variants and use gene-expression prediction methods to tie DNA changes to disease biology. The team will impute all studies to a multiethnic whole-genome reference panel and search for variants tied to overall and aggressive prostate cancer. Findings will be used to improve genetic risk scores and to highlight genes that might explain racial and ethnic differences in prostate cancer rates.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Men of diverse ancestries—especially African, Asian, Latino, and European descent—with or without prostate cancer who can provide genetic samples or allow use of their existing genetic and clinical data.
Not a fit: People looking for an immediate treatment or clinical intervention may not benefit directly, since this is a genetics discovery and risk-prediction project rather than a therapy trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce more accurate genetic risk tests that help identify men at higher risk and guide earlier screening or prevention.
How similar studies have performed: Previous genome-wide studies have identified many prostate cancer risk loci, but this much larger multiethnic effort aims to find additional and population-specific variants that prior smaller studies missed.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, UNITED STATES
- University of Southern California — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Haiman, Christopher Alan — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Haiman, Christopher Alan
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.