Molecular Epidemiology Book Published
In April, Molecular Epidemiology: Principles and Practices was published as an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Scientific Publication. Nathaniel Rothman, M.D., M.P.H., M.H.S., a senior investigator and head of molecular epidemiology studies in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB), is the lead editor for the book. Other editors include Dr. Pierre Hainaut of IARC in Lyon, France; Dr. Paul Schulte of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati, Ohio; Dr. Martyn Smith of the University of California, Berkeley; Dr. Paolo Boffetta of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, New York; and Dr. Frederica Perera of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in
New York, New York.
The text covers the major conceptual issues in molecular epidemiology with a strong emphasis on study design. Sixty-five authors contributed to the book, which has 27 chapters organized into 5 sections: (1) Contextual framework for molecular epidemiology, (2) Biomarkers—Practical aspects, (3) Assessing exposure to the environment, (4) Incorporating biomarkers into epidemiology study designs, and (5) Application of biomarkers to disease. The book is both a cornerstone for specialists and a teaching and training tool for public health, biology, and medical students. Dr. Rothman plans to use the text for the next DCEG molecular epidemiology course.
Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., M.D., Director of DCEG, wrote a foreword for the book, noting, “At this critical moment in the evolution of molecular epidemiology, the editors of this volume have enlisted scientific leaders in the field to review the major concepts, methods, and tools of this interdisciplinary approach.…With the evidence in this volume as a starting point, the stage is set for basic, clinical, and population scientists to accelerate collaborative efforts that will contribute new biological insights and augment strategies for preventing and controlling disease on a global scale.”
Several DCEG staff contributed to the text, including Christian C. Abnet, Ph.D., M.P.H., Nutritional Epidemiology Branch (NEB); Neil E. Caporaso, M.D., Chief of the Genetic Epidemiology Branch; Stephen J. Chanock, M.D., Chief of the Laboratory of Translational Genomics and Director of the Core Genotyping Facility (CGF); Nilanjan Chatterjee, Ph.D., Chief of the Biostatistics Branch; Amanda J. Cross, Ph.D. (NEB); Marianne K. Henderson, M.S., Chief of the Office of Division Operations and Analysis; Kevin B. Jacobs (CGF); Qing Lan, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. (OEEB); and Rashmi Sinha, Ph.D. (NEB).