Genetic Epidemiology Group

Objectives

The primary objectives of GEP include the following:

to identify novel cancer predisposition genes through large-scale case-control studies of selected cancers and to determine how specific genes may interact with known or suspected lifestyle-related or environmental exposures;
to evaluate the causal pathways by which known or suspected lifestyle-related risk factors may influence cancer incidence and outcome;
to investigate how genomic markers may contribute to the early detection of disease;
to determine whether germline or somatic (i.e. tumour) variants implicate lifestyle-related causes of cancer or are associated with clinical outcome;
to evaluate how lifestyle-related risk factors influence the somatic mutation profile of specific cancer types, as well as their clinical outcome; and
to develop, maintain, and coordinate large-scale international case-control and cohort studies, along with international consortia, in order to facilitate international genetic epidemiology research