Increased funding to improve cancer prevention, screening, and care in underserved communities
The National Institutes of Health has provided additional funding to four grantee partners to leverage the power and diversity of the All of Us Research Program’s dataset to develop more precise cancer prevention, detection, and treatment tools.
“With the research tools available, it can be difficult to parse out the factors that contribute and ultimately deepen health disparities,” said Janine Clayton, M.D., director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health. “The depth of All of Us data provides an opportunity to better understand the root causes of health inequities and help improve care and health outcomes.”
The awardees selected to receive administrative supplements are part of the National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Health Equity’s Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) program, led by Sandra L. San Miguel-Majors, Dr.P.H., M.S. Each team, led by an early career researcher, will use the All of Us Researcher Workbench to support translational and clinical studies that help reduce cancer health disparities across the cancer control continuum.
Currently, the All of Us Researcher Workbench includes data from more than 413,000 participants. Participants contribute data from surveys, physical measurements, electronic health records, wearable devices, and DNA to provide researchers a clearer picture of the biological, lifestyle, and environmental factors that influence their health.
The research projects build on each awardee’s goals. The selected projects are outlined below.
“These projects will help improve cancer care in impactful ways by seeking to understand and reduce inequities faced by communities historically under engaged in research,” said Karriem Watson, D.H.Sc., M.S., M.P.H., chief engagement officer of the All of Us Research Program. “Because of the intentional design of the Researcher Workbench, and the program’s commitment to health equity, researchers are able to advance knowledge on thousands of diseases and at every stage of care to the benefit of communities nationwide.”
Already, more than 13,000 researchers around the world use the Researcher Workbench, while participant enrollment and data collection are ongoing. More than 839,000 people so far have joined the program to contribute data for research. Learn more about registering to use the All of Us dataset.
| Institution(s) | Pilot project lead | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Hunter College Temple University/Fox Chase Cancer Center |
Claudia Wultsch, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate |
Utilizing big data to uncover complex cancer risk factors Using the big data and analytic capabilities of the All of Us dataset, researchers from Hunter College will develop genomic predictors of cancer susceptibility and uncover complex risk factors. These findings will be used to develop personalized risk assessments and targeted interventions. |
| Moffitt Cancer Center |
Jessica Islam, Ph.D. Assistant Professor |
Cancer screening behaviors among people with and without HIV in All of Us Researchers will tap the Researcher Workbench to identify patterns and trends in breast, colorectal, and lung cancer screening uptake, follow-up, and outcomes among people living with HIV compared to non-HIV participants. These findings can be used to develop interventions, address barriers to care, and optimize screening guidelines for people living with HIV. |
|
University of Massachusetts- Boston Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center |
Erin Sellars, Ph.D. Post-doctoral Fellow |
Classifying BRCA-2 variants for African American women The University of Massachusetts-Boston team will classify BRCA-2 variants with uncertain significance in the medical literature to better inform screening and interventions for women at high risk of developing breast cancer, including those who identify as African American. |
| Vanderbilt University |
Jibril Hirbo, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor |
Disparities in breast cancer treatment This study looks to address health disparities in breast cancer treatment between women who identify as African American/Black and those who identify as White. The team will focus on clinical use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) and CDK4/6 inhibitors. |