Multiethnic Cohort Study awarded $12.1M five-year renewal grant

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
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Posted: Nov 3, 2022

Researcher Unhee Lim shares findings on obesity and cancer at MEC Study 25th Anniversary celebration.
Researcher Unhee Lim shares findings on obesity and cancer at MEC Study 25th Anniversary celebration.

Link to video of UH Cancer Center b-roll: https://bit.ly/3fZ5lFP

A five-year renewal grant of $12.1-million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been awarded to the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) Study, the most ethnically diverse epidemiological study in the world that follows 215,000 residents of Hawaiʻi and Southern California for development of cancer and other chronic diseases. Funding has continuously been provided from the NCI for the study’s exceptional contributions. 

The joint effort between the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center and the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is now in its 28th year to utilize the ethnic and cultural diversity of these two geographical areas, as well as the expertise of the investigators in nutrition, health disparities and genetics. 

“The grant renewal will make possible the further follow-up of MEC Study participants for a number of new studies that will continue to build on our efforts to understand health disparities and improve the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases,” said UH Cancer Center researcher Loїc Le Marchand, principal investigator of the MEC Study.

The five-year renewal will allow the study of additional health conditions more common in Hawaiʻi, such as visceral obesity and liver cancer, and new areas such as social determinants of health, health effects of climate change, and genetic risk prediction.

Co-principal investigators of the MEC Study are Lynne Wilkens of the UH Cancer Center, and Christopher Haiman of USC’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

More on the MEC Study

The study cohort includes men and women of five main ethnic/racial populations: Japanese Americans, Native Hawaiians, African Americans, Latinos and whites. Researchers have been following this cohort to examine how the members, who develop cancer or other diseases, differed in various risk factors several years before diagnosis. 

In the early 2000’s, the study expanded to include a biorepository containing more than 2.5 million biological specimens (mainly blood and urine samples) from more than 75,000 MEC Study participants. 

The MEC Study has resulted in more than 950 peer-reviewed scientific articles on a wide range of topics, including smoking, diet, physical activity, obesity, hormones, environmental contaminants and genetic predisposition. In addition to the UH Cancer Center and USC, the data and samples have been used by more than 150 trainees, and by researchers from more than 85 academic institutions.

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About the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center
The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center through its various activities, including scientific research and clinical trials, adds more than $57 million to the Oʻahu economy.  It is one of only 71 research institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute.  An organized research unit within the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the UH Cancer Center is dedicated to eliminating cancer through research, education, patient care and community outreach with an emphasis on the unique ethnic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.  Learn more at https://www.uhcancercenter.org.  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UHCancerCenter.  Follow us on Twitter @UHCancerCenter.