In May 2013, the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP) announced the release of
eight recommendations for advancing epidemiologic science and translating discoveries in epidemiology into individual and population health benefits.
The recommendations were meant to be a blueprint for researchers, professional organizations, and funding agencies to stimulate dialogue among various stakeholders.
A year later, the recommendations have informed EGRP discussions, actions, and directions. Staff have developed funding opportunities, tools, and collaborative projects to respond to the recommendations. Below are a few recent examples of activities within EGRP, NCI, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that have the potential to transform epidemiology.
1. Extend the reach of epidemiology to include development and evaluation of clinical and population interventions, implementation, dissemination, and outcomes research.
The OncoArray Network grew out of NCI's
Genetic Associations and Mechanisms in Oncology (GAME-ON) initiative, which consists of epidemiologists, basic scientists, and clinicians collaborating on follow-up investigations of genomic regions that have been implicated in susceptibility to breast, prostate, colon, lung, and ovarian cancers. The Network--which developed a new custom genotyping array that includes approximately 570,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers--is being used by investigators to gain new insights into the genetic architecture and mechanisms underlying multiple cancers. See
the OncoArray Network page on the EGRP website for more information on the project and how to become a member.
2. Provide greater access to data, metadata, and specimens to foster collaboration, ensure reproducibility and replication, and accelerate translation to population health impact.
EGRP manages NCI's Extramural Data Access Committee (DAC), which is charged with implementing the NIH data sharing policy for many NCI-supported and -conducted genome-wide association and genomic studies. The DAC reviews all requests from the research community (including NIH intramural staff) for controlled access to genomic data, as well as to other cancer-related datasets for which it is responsible. The Committee has reached out to investigators to encourage new submissions to the Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) and to invite feedback on the
NIH genomic data sharing policy that currently is being drafted. The DAC also expanded
the table of genomic datasets for cancer research to include more details and allow users to sort and filter by cancer type, data type, etc. Additional efforts in data sharing in epidemiology beyond genomics are forthcoming, including a workshop in October 2014 and the establishment of a descriptive and metadata database for cancer epidemiology cohorts.
3. Expand cohort studies across the lifespan and include multiple health outcomes.
High-quality, population-based cohort studies can provide a foundation for epidemiology across the cancer continuum, from etiology to survivorship. A reissued NCI funding opportunity (
PAR-14-160) invites grant applications for targeted infrastructure support of the core functions of cancer epidemiology cohorts and methodological research. In addition to continuing support of large cancer epidemiology cohorts, the reissuance also will support smaller studies of
cancer patients and survivors and familial cohorts. Visit EGRP's
cohort web page to learn more about this funding opportunity and currently funded cohorts.
4. Develop, evaluate, and use novel technologies to quantify exposures and outcomes on a large scale and assess multiple factors in complex diseases.
NCI's
Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) program supports the development, maturation, and dissemination of novel and potentially transformative next-generation technologies based on balanced but targeted innovation to support clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic research on cancer. The IMAT Program has funded many products that have been commercialized successfully, such as RNAlater, Affymetrix GeneChips, Illumina bead platforms, and quantum dot labeling technology. All of these success stories were considered high-risk ideas at inception. Their current widespread use and applicability to multiple clinical and basic research settings, however, indicate the significance of such transformative technologies in the field of cancer research, including cancer epidemiology. Four new R21 and R33 funding opportunities currently are available through the IMAT Program; visit the
IMAT website for additional details.
5. Develop systematic approaches to manage, analyze, display, and interpret large, complex datasets.
To enable biomedical scientists to capitalize more fully on the "big data" being generated by the biomedical research community, NIH has committed $24 million annually for the
Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Initiative. BD2K aims to develop new approaches, standards, methods, tools, software, and competencies that will enhance the use of biomedical big data by supporting research, implementation, and training in data science and other relevant fields. More information about current BD2K funding opportunities can be found in
the April issue of the EGRP newsletter.
6. Expand knowledge integration to drive research, policy, and practice.
The
Cancer Genomics and Epidemiology Navigator (CGEN), launched by EGRP in September 2013, is an integrated, searchable, and regularly updated knowledge base intended to facilitate cancer epidemiologic research. CGEN can be used by cancer researchers to navigate existing resources and to integrate available information from NCI-funded research projects, publications, and evidenced-based guidelines, and link them with other data sources. Forthcoming improvements include linking CGEN data to a relational database containing descriptive data and derived meta-data information for EGRP-supported cancer epidemiology consortia.
A previous post on our blog describes the features of CGEN and its usefulness in facilitating cancer epidemiologic research. You can try it out for yourself on the
CGEN website.
7. Transform epidemiology training by emphasizing team science, multilevel analyses, knowledge integration and translation.
The Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP), a joint effort co-funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and NCI, supports a multidisciplinary network of scientists, clinicians, and community partners. The BCERP's overarching goal is to better understand the role of environmental exposures and genetic factors underlying breast cancer risk and subsequently advance breast cancer prevention. One of the major priorities of the BCERP is to ensure that
new findings are appropriately translated into messages and preventive strategies for at-risk girls and women. Towards this goal, the BCERP has supported a wealth of community engagement forums and produced
numerous outreach products. More information about program activities and findings is available on
the BCERP website.
8. Develop and design rational, cost-effective resources to optimize funding for epidemiology studies, accelerate translation, and maximize health impact.
A forthcoming EGRP webinar series, "Transforming Epidemiology through Advanced Methods (TEAM)," aims to foster an online community through which epidemiologists who focus on complex diseases can:
- Discuss cutting-edge methods that can be incorporated into existing epidemiology studies;
- Learn about new tools, methods, and resources that can facilitate epidemiologic research;
- Share best practices from other epidemiology studies; and
- Explore challenges, identify gaps, and brainstorm solutions to improve the efficiency of practice and extend the reach of epidemiology into the 21st century.
The first speaker in the series will be Dr. Dana Rollison, who will discuss the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center's
MyMoffitt Patient Portal. More information about the speakers and topics will be available soon on the
EGRP-sponsored workshops page and via the
@NCIEpi Twitter feed.
This is a small sample of the activities that EGRP and our partners are participating in to advance the science of cancer epidemiology. More funding opportunities, workshops, publications, and collaborations are being developed, so be sure to read this newsletter and the
Cancer Epidemiology Matters Blog for updates.
