Approved Research

Investigating associations between infections and cancers, CVD and neurodegenerative diseases, and developing risk prediction and prognostic models for the aforementioned common diseases

Lay summary

Infections are common clinical events, and today, chronic diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases pose a significant threat to human health. It is of great practical importance to investigate the association and interaction between infections and these diseases. It has been recognized that early prevention and treatment by controlling the risk factors of diseases is an important way to reduce morbidity and mortality. Our study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the association between infections and target diseases and the associated risk factors. The specific objectives are 1) to build on existing studies to further explore the relationship between different infections (e.g., viral, bacterial infections) and target diseases, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer, stroke, myocardial infarction, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and their interactions; 2) to combine environmental exposure factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and activity to explore the mediating factors between infections and target diseases, identify risk factors, improve population awareness, and enhance prevention efforts; 3) to apply machine learning algorithms to establish risk prediction and prognostic models for common cancers, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases based on known relationship and risk factors. The project will contribute to the reduction of infection-related diseases and improve the prognosis of populations at risk through a comprehensive understanding.