 The GENOMIC IMMUNOEPIDEMIOLOGY Laboratory is led by Dr M Tevfik Dorak. The laboratory is focusing on the genetic epidemiology of childhood leukemia, infectious disease and immune system related conditions including inflammatory bowel diseases. The laboratory is using genetic epidemiology as a probe for disease biology and ultimately to develop tests and interventions for disease prevention, prediction and treatment. The three main research questions are:
Are the non-HLA genes involved in reported HLA associations with disease?The non-HLA genes of the HLA complex outnumber the HLA genes, but have not been given enough attention in disease association studies. They are relevant to crucial processes including embryonic development, transcription or translation machinery, genome surveillance, cell cycle control and immune regulation. The non-HLA gene variants are being examined in associations with prenatal selection, cancer and aging.
What are the contributions of iron-related genes to cancer susceptibility? Iron is a strong oxidant and its excess is associated with increased cancer risk. In childhood leukemia, HFE gene variants increase the risk presumably by their effect on body iron levels. This work is defining the relative contributions of the genes involved in iron homeostasis and genes that take part in anti-oxidative defense mechanisms.
Why are boys more prone to develop infections and cancer? With few exceptions, most childhood infections and cancers are more frequent in boys. No mechanism is known for this sex differential. We are using childhood leukemia/lymphoma as a model and focus on immune system genes because of the gender gap in immune competency. We also aim to revisit the previously reported sex-specific linkage with the HLA region in inflammatory bowel diseases. |
