Investigating the genetic basis of four common cancers with a large pedigree resource

The University of Utah has collected DNA samples on ~10,000 cancer subjects sampled as pedigrees to investigate the genetic basis of cancer. We propose to use UKBiobank data to confirm genetic discoveries found among the University of Utah’s cancer pedigrees. The availability of UKBiobank data adds great efficiency to our study since we will be able to validate some of our findings without the expense of collecting many thousand additional samples from other cancer patients. We anticipate the project will be completed within 36 months. If successful, the research we are proposing will provide a positive public health impact by expanding our collective knowledge concerning the genetic basis of common cancers and may increase our ability to predict cancer in susceptible individuals in the future.