Cancer and the Environment Initiative

Overview

The study of the vast scientific and cultural landscape in which nature translates DNA into the intricate structures of life holds enormous promise for exploration. The Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, ranked in the top 10 in the nation among comprehensive cancer treatment facilities, has teamed with the nationally renowned Duke Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences to investigate the role that environment plays on cancer. The academic thought leadership of both the Nicholas School and the Cancer Center located within one of the premier academic medical centers in the country creates this distinctive atmosphere of multidisciplinary collaboration and partnership.

The goal of the partnership between the Duke Cancer Center and the Nicholas School is to unravel the interplay between genes and the environment in order to better understand why some people develop disease and why some remain unaffected when exposed to the same environmental factors. Genetics is only a part of the complex issue of disease development. Researchers from each institution will share their knowledge as they examine how different outside factors interact with genes in determining how, or if, a particular disease occurs. By doing so, researchers hope to gain a better understanding of how genes and environmental agents interact to affect the whole organism. Ultimately, researchers hope to identify new targets for potential drugs and help identify particular susceptible individuals who might be at a higher risk for cancer.

From January 31-February 3, 2008, the two institutions hosted the Fourth Aquatic Animal Models of Human Disease Conference in Durham. This conference provided investigators with a unique opportunity to exchange scientific information, identify research tools and opportunities, and encourage enhancement of the utility of aquatic models for studies of human disease. 

View the printed program from the conference