Research question:
Digestive system diseases, including gastrointestinal cancers (pan cancer), inflammatory bowel diseases, liver cirrhosis, and other conditions, pose major health challenges with rising incidence and mortality rates. Despite medical advances, our understanding of the interplay between genetic predisposition, molecular mechanisms, and risk factors remains limited, hampering prevention and treatment strategies.
Objective:
To address these gaps, we employ a multi-omics approach using UK Biobank’s dataset to understand molecular mechanisms, progression, and overall mortality of digestive diseases. We focus on identifying novel risk factors and biomarkers, evaluating dietary and environmental impacts on disease onset, and developing prediction models for early detection. Additionally, we analyze multiple cancer types to determine gastrointestinal cancer-specific characteristics. This 36-month project leverages UK Biobank’s advantages in population-scale data and long-term follow-up.
Scientific rationale:
The digestive system’s complexity requires comprehensive research approaches. Multi-omics technologies enable understanding of disease mechanisms across biological levels. Metabolomics and proteomics reveal molecular signatures specific to digestive pathologies, while genomics identifies genetic patterns. Comparing multiple cancer types helps determine gastrointestinal cancer-specific mechanisms, crucial for targeted interventions. Medical imaging provides detailed organ visualization, enabling disease progression assessment and phenotypic validation. Combining imaging with molecular data aids early marker identification. While environmental and dietary factors influence digestive diseases, their molecular interactions remain unclear. Integrating genetic, proteomic, and metabolomic data with imaging and environmental information can reveal novel disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets, advancing prevention strategies and personalized treatment.
