Deconvolute Key Biological Drivers That Define Subsets of Lethal Prostate Cancer in African American Men
Abstract
More African American men get and die from prostate cancer than other groups of men. We know that in addition to socio-economic and socio-cultural issues, biological factors such as gene expression (known as genomics) and environmental factors that impact gene function (epigenomics) all play a role in the observed prostate cancer health disparities. If we can learn more about the role of these genomic and epigenomic factors, then we may be able to give better care to African American men with prostate cancer and save more lives. A major setback in the field of prostate cancer disparities research has been the lack of an adequate tumor samples from African American patients that can be used to rigorously investigate and understand the genomic, and epigenomic factors that drive lethal prostate cancer in African American men. To overcome this obstacle, our group of scientists has established a collaborative team to create a database of prostate tumor samples with clinical and genomic information from over 1,000 African American men, all of whom have been de-identified to protect the individual patient health information privacy. Now that we have this large database resource in place, we are poised to begin careful curation of all the data elements and perform extensive quality checks using very sophisticated bio informatics tools. The next steps will include applying analytical tools to identify unique signals known as molecular signatures that are mostly enriched in tumor samples from Americans of African descent to help us to both understand why and know when patients develop an aggressive type of prostate cancer. Once we identify these unique signals at the time the patient is diagnosed, then it will help doctors to give these patients the right treatment in a timely manner. With this work, we will take important steps towards personalized medicine. This kind of medicine is tailored to the biology of the individual, making it more effective than a one size fits all approach. It can help to overcome cancer health disparities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252310651
Entities
People
- Kosj Yamoah
Organizations
- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
- United States Army