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Our goal is to achieve precision prevention and medicine — using omics approaches (genes, blood, and tissue markers, etc.) to inform lifestyle and treatment options to produce better treatment response, functions and survival.  One focus is on Energy Balance–MPE.  MPE, or molecular pathological epidemiology, is a methodology studying causes and mechanisms of cancer using biomarkers on tissue integrating with epidemiological data.  Obesity is a pandemic in the US and many countries. Aside from physical inactivity, a condition related to obesity is sarcopenia, an age-related progression of loss of muscle mass and strength, particularly among older adults and people with a history of cancer.  Our research objective is to understand the mechanisms of how these energy balance-related factors influence cancer risk, tumor microenvironment, and outcomes. We use targeted and omics approaches to analyze tissue (protein, RNA, and mutation), blood, and genetic markers. We use state-of-the-art approaches to analyze tumor tissue and body composition, such as spatial and dynamic immune-tumor cell interactions and measuring adipose and muscle tissue using computed tomography (CT) scans.  We also study the disparity issue of energy balance-MPE between different age, sex, race-ethnicity, and cancer groups and develop precision intervention strategies.  We collaborate with landmark epidemiologic studies, including the Women’s Health Initiative and UK Biobanks, and labs in major institutes including Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, and the University of Florida. Our lab receives funding from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute.

This is a broader framework – including many other factors related to energy balance. The consequences of energy imbalance are enormous, but it is largely preventable through behavioral, biological, and social factors. Our lab is interested in studying how different parts of energy balance, i.e., diet, exercise, body fatness, and body composition, influence tumor signaling pathways and further affect patient prognosis and survival. The singling pathways we study include PI3K/AKT/mTOR as well as immune pathways, many of which are drug targetable. Many of the nutritional and body composition factors are also modifiable to be beneficial to prevent cancer pathway signaling as well as promote health overall. Also, we pay attention to social determinants of health (SDOH) and neighborhood as potential influencing factors to energy balance and tumor pathway signaling. We use rigorous epidemiology and molecular pathology methods and team science approaches to identify associations and modifiable factors.