Biomarker Development and Applications to Inform Cancer Prevention

Biomarkers of exposure and biological effects are invaluable tools for studying the etiology of environmentally- induced cancers, identifying individuals and populations at risk, and developing and evaluating preventive interventions. This proposal will leverage the expertise and the teaching and capacity building experience of the Masonic Cancer Center (MCC), University of Minnesota faculty to provide an innovative, hands-on course to develop skills necessary for employing biomarkers of carcinogen exposure and biological effects in studies of cancer etiology and prevention. The course is targeted towards researchers-in-training (RITs) such as predoctoral and medical students and postdoctoral trainees from the US and from countries that represent high burden of exposure to environmental and lifestyle cancer risk factors. We will recruit 10 RITs each year, with each cohort consisting of four US-based participants and – leveraging our existing partnerships – six participants from India, Thailand, and African countries (two participants from each site). Specific Aims are (1) Provide a course that offers structured didactic content and hands-on experiences for developing skills in biomarker measurement and data analysis and interpretation. The course will include virtual modules focused on the fundamentals of chemical carcinogenesis and examples of biomarker development and applications, and a 5- week in-person laboratory training in state-of-the art biomarker measurement techniques. (2) Provide course participants with an understanding of clinical and translational biomarker applications to inform cancer prevention and control. Participants will learn and practice methodologies for designing, planning, and implementing human cross-sectional and intervention studies employing biomarkers. This will include modules on the ethics of human subject research as well as the logistics of project management, such as participant recruitment, retention, compliance with study procedures, and biological sample collection, processing, and shipment. (3) Provide course participants with skills and opportunities to establish global collaborative partnerships for conducting biomarker-based research in the area of cancer prevention and control. Each participant will partner with a participant from a different country to develop a joint research proposal employing biomarker assessments. The proposal will address a cancer risk factor relevant to both countries (e.g., air pollution, tobacco, diet) and will be designed to ensure that its findings will serve to inform each country’s cancer prevention and control efforts. Our long-term goal is to establish a community of highly skilled researchers who can engage in collaborative, translational biomarker research aimed to inform policies and practices to reduce the global burden of cancer. Project Number: 1R25CA306814-01 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: National Cancer Institute (NCI) | Principal Investigator: Irina Stepanov (+1 co-PI) | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS, MN | Award Amount: $309,761 | Activity Code: R25 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 BTC-Z (80)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11264248