Understanding how common medicines affect cancer and Alzheimer's disease risk
Official title: Integrating genetics and health data to discover common drug effects on cancer and Alzheimer's disease
Funded at University of Massachusetts Lowell · NIH-11125975 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how everyday medicines might influence the risk of developing cancer or Alzheimer's disease by examining health records and genetic information.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Massachusetts Lowell NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lowell, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $365,947 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM151001-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11125975 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This project primarily uses existing health data and genetic information, so direct patient participation in a clinical trial is not currently part of this specific grant.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not interested in how common medications might influence long-term disease risk may not find direct benefit from this specific data-driven research.
What this research studies
Many people past middle age take common medicines, and we want to understand if these drugs have hidden effects on major health outcomes like cancer or Alzheimer's disease. We are using health records to see how different medicines might be linked to these conditions. To make our findings stronger, we are also looking at independent genetic information to predict potential drug effects. Our goal is to find new ways to prevent these diseases and discover if existing drugs can be used for new purposes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better ways to prevent cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and identify existing drugs that could be repurposed for new treatments.
How similar studies have gone: While individual drug effects have been studied, this project proposes novel systematic approaches to combine health record and genetic data to discover drug effects on a broad scale.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Lowell, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Melamed, Rachel Dania — University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Study coordinator: Melamed, Rachel Dania
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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.