Breast cancer (BC) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy, classified into estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative subtypes. This cancer accounts for nearly 11.6% of all newly diagnosed cancers and 6.9% of all cancer-related deaths worldwide. However, current knowledge regarding breast cancer remains limited. Our research aims to uncover the complex interplay between genetic, biological, environmental, behavioral, and clinical factors in the development and progression of breast cancer.
To address this gap, the present undertaking aims to employ an integrated approach, leveraging the wealth of genetics, metabolomics, transcriptome, and comprehensive epidemiological data. We aim to discover new risk factors, identify potential biomarkers, and understand causal relationships between multiple factors and breast cancer through multidimensional analyses. Individual genetic data provides unique opportunities to uncover novel biomarkers and improve our understanding of the etiology of breast cancer. Similarly, the blood metabolome is considered an important readout of aggregated information from genetic factors, gene expression to protein abundance, as well as external environmental factors.
The goal of our study is to explore these connections in depth. We plan to first analyze clinical and genetic data to find potential links between breast cancer and various influencing factors. Then, we’ll combine multi-omics and epidemiological data to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms, discovering novel risk factors and biomarkers. This approach will help us propose new strategies for early prevention. better clinical treatments, and identifying new therapeutic targets for breast cancer.