Core 1: Biostatistics & Bioinformatics Core

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SUMMARY / ABSTRACT The goal of the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core (BBC) is to provide support to the SPORE projects, other cores, as well as the researchers funded through the Developmental Research Program or Career Enhancement Program in all aspects of study design and data management, processing, integration and analysis. This proposal focuses on translational research in minority health and health equity in cancer for the diverse populations of Hawaii, particularly the understudied Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) groups. Project 1 will focus on prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma, for which Hawaii’s AANHPI populations are at high risk, by evaluating, in a randomized clinical trial, the efficacy of an intermittent energy restriction on reducing liver fat and liver stiffness in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with predicted fibrosis stage 2+. Project 2 will focus on reducing the disparity for lung cancer among Native Hawaiians through elucidation of the behavioral aspects of, and improved guidelines for, screening and the biological characteristics of this malignancy in this population. Project 3 will focus on breast cancer prevention among AANHPI women through calibration and addition of mammography radiomic features, associated with prognosis and adiposity, to commonly used breast cancer risk models (e.g., Gail model). The BBC is staffed by a team experienced in biostatistics and bioinformatics for translational research in multiethnic populations. Provision of the highest quality support will be facilitated by having the expertise concentrated in the Core rather than in individual projects, as this will lead to sharing of ideas and tools. The aims of the core are: 1) to provide support for data management and integration for the projects, while ensuring data quality and security processes are incorporated, 2) to develop and execute study design and analysis plans for each of the research projects, in conjunction with Project Leaders, and 3) to facilitate data sharing among SPORE researchers and with the research community. We will ensure that the most appropriate and rigorous data collection, management and analysis approaches are used, that the flow of data and material is seamless, and that requirements for data governance, security, and sharing are met. In addition, we will explore novel techniques, such as integrative clustering and Bayesian methods for combining omics data, to better understand the underlying mechanisms. The BBC as a single locus for these comprehensive activities will provide efficiency, integration and scientific rigor that are not otherwise available.