Metabolic Dysregulation and Cancer Risk Program: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Obesity-Associated Cancer Research

Overview

More than 13 different cancers are associated with obesity, although the precise mechanisms underpinning the obesity and cancer link are unclear. In July 2021, NCI published two funding opportunity announcements, RFA-CA-21-021 and RFA-CA-21-022, inviting applications for research projects and a coordinating center for the Metabolic Dysregulation and Cancer Risk Program. The Program, with participation from the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Division of Cancer Biology, Division of Cancer Prevention, and the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, reflects the cross-cutting interests in obesity and cancer research within NCI and the activities of the Trans-NCI Obesity and Cancer Work Group.

The overall purpose of the trans-NCI Metabolic Dysregulation and Cancer Risk Program is to enhance knowledge of the dynamics and underlying mechanisms that link obesity, metabolic dysregulation, and increased cancer risk in individuals and identify mechanisms that will enhance cancer risk prediction, screening for high-risk individuals in clinical settings, and potential targets for preventive and therapeutic interventions.

Funded Projects

The Metabolic Dysregulation and Cancer Risk Program consists of one coordinating center and multiple research project grants. The project titles below link to additional information in NIH RePORTER.

• Ceramides as Novel Drivers of Metabolic Dysfunction and Colorectal Cancer
  • Institution: University of Utah
  • Contact Principal Investigator (PI): Mary C. Playdon, PhD, MPH
  • NCI Program Director: Tram Kim Lam, PhD, MPH; Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences

• Decoding Mechanisms Underlying Metabolic Dysregulation in Obesity and Digestive Cancer Risk
  • Institution: Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Contact PI: Deirdre K. Tobias, ScD
  • NCI Program Director: Gabriel Lai, PhD; Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences

• Determine the Molecular and Metabolic Mechanisms by which A-FABP Links Dysregulated Lipid Metabolism-Induced Obesity/Breast Cancer Risk
  • Institution: University of Iowa
  • Contact PI: Bing Li, PhD
  • NCI Program Director: Phil Daschner, MSc; Cancer Immunology, Hematology, and Etiology Branch, Division of Cancer Biology

• Determining the Contribution of Microbial-Derived Metabolites to Protective Immunity in Obesity-Driven Cancer Risk
  • Institution: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
  • Contact PI: Liza Makowski-Hayes, PhD, MS
  • Program Director: Phil Dashcher, MSc; Cancer Immunology, Hematology, and Etiology Branch, Division of Cancer Biology

• A Transdisciplinary Approach to Investigate Metabolic Dysregulation in Obese Parent and Child Dyads and Risk of Colorectal Cancer
  • Institution: University of South Carolina
  • Contact PI: James R. Hébert, ScD
  • Program Director: Sharon Ross, PhD, MPH; Nutritional Science Research Group, Division of Cancer Prevention

• Metabolic Dysregulation and Cancer Risk Program Coordinating Center
  • Institution: George Washington University
  • Contact PI: Ella Temprosa, PhD
  • Program Director: Tram Kim Lam, PhD, MPH; Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences

Contacts