Why Are Pathobiological Analyses and Insights Valuable in Epidemiology? A Primer for Epidemiologists
Abstract: Our understanding of disease pathogenesis, which has substantially advanced, is an integral component of epidemiology. However, there exists a gap between pathobiology and epidemiology in education as well as research practice. How recent advances in pathobiological sciences can be seamlessly integrated into epidemiology has been a main theme in the field of molecular pathological epidemiology. This lecture utilizes research examples to illuminate how this integration can upgrade both epidemiology and pathobiological sciences. Furthermore, it is increasingly evident that long-term risk factor exposures play pivotal etiologic roles in many chronic diseases such as cancer. Therefore, the concept of the prospective cohort incident-tumor biobank method (PCIBM) is also illustrated with its unprecedented ability to examine long-term exposures in relation to tumor incidence plus detailed disease phenotyping.
Bio: Dr. Ogino has spearheaded to develop the integrative science of molecular pathological epidemiology (MPE). Dr. Ogino founded the International Molecular Pathological Epidemiology (MPE) Meeting Series in 2013 and has been serving as its Chair/Co-Chair for six past meetings. Leveraging the MPE approach, Dr. Ogino is a leading investigator to study the interactive roles of long-term risk factor exposures, genetics, systemic conditions, microbiome, and immunity in colorectal cancer (CRC) biology and etiologies. Based on the prospective cohort incident-tumor biobank method (PCIBM), many discoveries (“since 2007”) of the etiological links between long-term exposures and CRC incidence plus pathobiological phenotyping remain quite unique, as no other group has been able to conduct similar (replication) studies for up to 18 years. Recently, Dr. Ogino’s additional focus is research on early-onset cancers that have shown rising incidence in recent decades (e.g., those in the breast, kidney, uterus, and many digestive organs). As one of thought leaders in this particular topic, Dr. Ogino applies integrative research approaches to address this global issue. For his unique transdisciplinary scientific contribution, Dr. Ogino has received numerous awards and honors.
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Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, MS
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