Using big biobanks to understand shared cancer risks
Official title: Harnessing large biobanks to decipher cancer pleiotropy
Funded at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center · NIH-11456223 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant uses large genetic databases to find common genetic factors that influence multiple cancer types, helping us understand why some people are at risk for more than one cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | July 10, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $487,902 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA309511-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11456223 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with or at risk for cancer who may contribute genetic data or participate in future validation studies in related cohorts.
✕Less likely to help
Current patients without access to genomic data or related cohorts may not directly benefit from this analysis.
What this research studies
If you have or are at risk for cancer, this project looks at genetic data from thousands of cancer patients to uncover shared genetic roots across different cancers. Researchers will analyze existing big datasets from sources like UK Biobank and All of Us, integrating whole-genome sequencing and GWAS data to find pleiotropic cancer risk regions. The goal is to map how shared germline genetics contribute to cancer risk and to validate findings in additional datasets, potentially guiding future prevention and screening approaches. The work emphasizes leveraging already-collected data to study cancer broadly, including rarer cancers that lack large studies. Overall, this could expand our understanding of why cancers arise and how they may be linked at the genetic level.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to better understanding of why multiple cancers share genetic risk factors, informing future prevention, screening, and personalized risk assessment.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that studying multiple cancers together can reveal novel genetic risk regions not seen when analyzing cancers separately.
Where this research is happening
-
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Darst, Burcu Frances — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Study coordinator: Darst, Burcu Frances
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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.