Video: Dr Zdenko Herceg on predicting breast cancer – how IARC scientists read the map hidden in an individual’s blood

In a new video to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr Zdenko Herceg, Head of the Epigenomics and Mechanisms Branch at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), explains how IARC scientists identify biomarkers in women’s blood to accurately predict their risk of developing breast cancer.

Using machine learning and state-of-the-art analytical tools developed at IARC, the researchers map the epigenome. The epigenome determines how our bodies and cells work based on the genetic material we inherit from our parents, the things we encounter in our environment, and our lifestyle.

In the video, Dr Herceg details how IARC researchers create these maps, how they identified the biomarkers linked to cancer risk, and how this could change cancer prevention and cancer treatment in the future.

Watch the video

Visit the Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021 webpage