Norris Cotton Cancer Center

Cancer Epidemiology & Chemoprevention

Program Co-Directors:
Margaret Karagas, PhD
Ethan Dmitrovsky, MD

This Program fosters discovery of novel chemopreventive agents, identification of their major biologic targets, and the use of markers of early biologic response in pre-clinical and animal models of pre-neoplasia or neoplastic disease as well as in the conduct of hypothesis-driven clinical trials.

The Program promotes investigations that identify carcinogenic factors and their effects at the molecular, genetic, biochemical and population levels and fosters inquiry into the environmental and biological factors that modify these effects. Collectively, these efforts involve observation studies, clinical trials, animal models with carcinogen-induced tumors and genetically engineered animals (primarily rodent species), and in vitro studies.

The long-term goal of this Program is to identify and develop interactions that inhibit carcinogenesis. Once these interventions are found through use of pre-clinical and experimental animal models, then initial clinical exploration will be undertaken through proof-of-principle Phase I/II trials. Findings will be confirmed and extended ultimately through definitive Phase III trials that pursue mechanism-based chemopreventive interventions.

The Program aims to continue to strengthen its scientific accomplishments by organizing and encouraging intra-programmatic and inter-programmatic interactions as well as interactions with visiting scientists who are leaders in the chemoprevention field. These interactions are intended to foster collaborative and interdisciplinary projects among epidemiologists, basic scientists, and clinicians who share a commitment to advance the scientific goals of the Program.