-Scientific rationale:
Smoking is one of the strongest and most modifiable health risk factors, accounting for an estimated 2.01 million cancer-related deaths (95% UI: 1.68 to 2.4) globally in 2021. Although smoking cessation significantly reduces the cancer and other health risks, elevated health risks, particularly lung cancer risk among former smokers, can persist for many years after quitting smoking. Recent evidence has provided evidence in identifying markers influenced by tobacco smoke exposure and their association with various chronic diseases. However, few studies have integrated multi-omics data (eg, metabolomics, proteomics, and methylation) to reveal the biological mechanisms for disease risk among former smokers. Therefore, we propose the project to address the following research questions.
1. What metabolites, proteomics, and methylation are associated with smoking status and which differences persist among former smokers?
2. Are multi-omics biomarker signatures built to capture the persistent smoking effect associated with the risk of smoking-related diseases (including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases) among former smokers?
Objectives of the study are:
1. To develop and validate persistent smoking effect signatures based on existing multi-omics data, including metabolomics, proteomics, and methylation from the UK Biobank.
2. To assess the associations of the residual smoking effect signatures with cancers, diabetes, and CVD risks among former smokers in the UK Biobank.
