Meet Our Researchers Research Grant and Fellowship Awardees

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death among Latinos. Although lung cancer screening has been shown to reduce deaths, uptake remains low. The Latino community faces specific barriers to accessing lung cancer screening, including language, cost concerns, mistrust of the health care system and a lack of knowledge regarding when to have lung cancer screenings. This creates an urgent need to develop programs that address these issues.  In response, we aim to develop and pilot test ¡A todo pulmón! (At the top of one’s lungs!), a text messaging program to increase the uptake of lung cancer screening among Latinos.

This project will be divided in two phases:

• Development. We will interview Latino adults ages 50 to 80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. The interviews will allow us to understand specific needs for accessing lung cancer screening   to help develop and refine text messages that address the specific needs of Latinos. 
• Pilot testing. We will conduct a study with 40 Latino adults.  All participants will receive the ¡A todo pulmón! text messages three months after enrollment. Participants will complete a follow-up assessment so we can assess how many participants completed lung cancer screening. We will also evaluate recruitment and follow-up rates, and satisfaction with the program.

This work is guided by community advisory boards that represent the Latino population and ensure that their perspectives are incorporated on all aspects of the study.

Aging is a major risk factor for the development of blood cancer, such as leukemia, due to an increase in the dominance of ineffective blood stem cells. Blood stem cells are necessary for hematopoiesis. (The process of creating all the cells that constitute the blood system.)

Over 6% of all individuals 60 years of age and older who are otherwise free of blood disorders have clonal hematopoiesis. Clonal hematopoiesis is the dominance of ineffective blood stem cells that results in an increased propensity for blood cancer development and poor outcomes once cancer develops. This can be detected from a minimally invasive blood draw; therefore, it presents a truly pre-cancerous state that is easily detectable and in adequate time for intervention. Because the timeline from clonal hematopoiesis detection to disease is unknown, traditional therapies that have side effects, especially when taken for long periods— such as drugs—are not feasible.

I propose the use of dietary interventions as a sustainable and effective cancer preventative strategy to prophylactically treat people with clonal hematopoiesis. Using the zebrafish model—which shares many of the biological features that define the human blood system and allows for high throughput screening of treatments in a whole-body context—I will test dietary interventions to evaluate their influence on slowing clonal hematopoiesis.

I will also combine genome editing techniques to model clonal hematopoiesis along with cutting edge genetic and color cellular barcoding approaches to track the dynamics of individual blood stem cells in response to dietary interventions in real time.

CRC is one of the most diagnosed and deadliest forms of cancer worldwide. Only a minority of CRC cases are related to a known genetic predisposition, and it is known to have a strong environmental component contributing to its molecular etiology, highlighting a critical role for adjustable behavioral practices that could be modified to support CRC prevention.

CRC incidence is associated with specific dietary patterns, but little is known about diets that promote the prevention or treatment CRC. Therefore, optimizing nutrition for the prevention and therapy of CRC is an urgent goal. This is particularly apparent in Lynch syndrome, where genetic predisposition and lifestyle jointly determine the rate of cancer initiation and progression in the intestine. While the genetic component awaits the development of effective gene therapy approaches, lifestyle interventions that prevent or delay the onset of tumor development are highly attractive for their low cost, non-invasiveness, low toxicity and their ability to combine with existing treatment strategies.

We have recently discovered a new dietary approach for the prevention and treatment of CRC (Dmitrieva-Posocco et al., Nature, 2022). We propose to apply this new knowledge to achieve a better basic understanding of the factors regulating the molecular etiology of CRC in Lynch Syndrome patients. This study may pave the way for a new metabolite-based adjunctive therapy for CRC.

Over the course of this project, we will research how to objectively measure skin tone in a reproducible way, how to label skin tone at scale and how skin tone affects artificial intelligence performance for skin cancer detection. We hope that this will help us better understand when and how to use automated tools for skin cancer detection, and what types of information will make those tools work better in a generalizable way.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are aggressive blood cancers that are among the top ten causes of cancer deaths in the U.S. Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is a well-known precursor lesion to AML and is defined by the presence of genetic abnormalities (i.e., mutations) in the blood cells of an individual, years before they get a clinical diagnosis of blood cancer. Individuals with CH are at 11-times higher risk to develop AML.

Our research has shown that a third of adult patients with ALL also harbor CH-type mutations in their leukemias. We were also able to demonstrate that mutations can exist in blood cells of ALL patients many years before they are diagnosed with leukemia. Since CH can predict the risk of leukemia for both AML and ALL patients, we may have a window of opportunity to implement risk-reduction strategies in high-risk individuals to halt the progression of CH to fatal acute leukemias.

The aim of this project is to have a detailed genetic characterization of CH evolution to help understand the critical pathways driving leukemias, which can then be targeted to prevent leukemia before it happens.

We will explore:

• Mechanisms by which CH causes ALL by using a sophisticated single cell sequencing technology.
• Patterns of evolution of CH in solid tumor patients who are receiving chemotherapy or immunotherapy for their cancer, which can help us predict the risk for therapy-related leukemias.
• Expansion of our CH clinic`s efforts to enroll more high-risk patients in prevention clinical trials.

These studies will help us discover the pathways driving leukemias in adults. This will allow us to use risk reduction strategies to prevent leukemia in high-risk patients.   

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive form of blood cancer of a type of immune cell known as the B cell. Unfortunately, around 40% of people with DLBCL do not survive five years and beyond after their initial diagnosis. Safe preventative interventions for DLBCL remain an urgent clinical need. Development of such interventions requires an understanding of how DLBCLs are initiated and established at a molecular level.

During the initiation phase of DLBCL, normal B cells become pre-malignant B cells. These pre-malignant B cells then establish full-blown DLBCL. At this stage, the clinical symptoms of DLBCL become apparent. Our recent studies find that the sex hormone prolactin (PRL), which is elevated during acute and chronic stress in both males and females, initiates and establishes DLBCL. We find that PRL increases the risk of B cells transforming into deadly DLBCL in vulnerable people with autoimmune diseases and in those with milder forms of lymphoma. PRL achieves this by binding to a specific form of its receptor on B cells called the ‘long form prolactin receptor (LFPRLR)’.

Our proposed study will solidify the mechanisms by which PRL, through the LFPRLR, turns B cells malignant and ultimately establishes full-blown DLBCL.

Our findings will inform:

• Development of strategies to measure the elevation in the lymphoma-promoting LFPRLR in people at increased risk of DLBCL.
• Clinical application of safe agents that block the production of the LFPRLR, such as those used in this project, to prevent DLBCL in vulnerable populations with B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases and slow-growing B-cell lymphomas.

Hispanics/Latinos are disproportionately burdened by cancer and experience structural racism (macro-level conditions that restrict opportunities and resources) as a barrier to cancer prevention and screening.

We want to adapt the successful Project HEAL (Health through Early Awareness and Learning) program for the immigrant Hispanic/Latino community. Project HEAL is an evidence-based intervention in African American faith-based organizations that we developed with support from the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society. The program trained African American leaders as lay Community Health Advisors (CHAs) to conduct group educational workshops in churches to increase knowledge and screening for breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. It was effective in increasing cancer knowledge overall, as well as colonoscopy, fecal occult blood test and digital rectal exams over 24 months in Black communities.

This project will measure the effectiveness of Project HEAL to increase cancer knowledge and screenings with Hispanic/Latino immigrants. There is a critical need to adapt and determine the effects of Project HEAL on cancer knowledge and screening outcomes among this population.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Some populations have extremely high lung cancer death rates. For example, African American men in Mississippi have the highest lung cancer death rate in the nation. A screening test can be used to identify lung cancer at an early stage when treatment is most likely to be successful. When lung cancer is detected in its earliest stages, people have a much higher chance of surviving than when it is detected in later stages. However, the number of people who get yearly lung cancer screenings is very low. For example, only 6.5% of eligible people in the U.S. were screened for lung cancer in 2020.

There is an immediate need to increase routine lung cancer screening among high-risk populations. Currently, there is a lack of effective lung cancer screening awareness programs. Our project aims to increase knowledge about risk factors for lung cancer and promote lung cancer screening among high-risk populations in communities with high lung cancer death rates.

Our program will:

• Include information about lung cancer, lung cancer screening and tools to help people quit smoking. 
• Train community health workers (CHWs) to deliver the lung cancer screening awareness program and to help people make appointments for lung cancer screening.

The program participants will also receive personalized text messages to remind them about the importance of getting yearly lung cancer screenings, quitting smoking and staying away from cigarettes and tobacco. We will use a combination of research methods, such as surveys and interviews, to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the program.

The results of this project will be used to help us develop a more rigorous assessment of the effectiveness of the CHW training program and the lung cancer screening awareness program. 

Breast cancer diagnosed within 10 years of pregnancy is defined as postpartum breast cancer and is an aggressive disease with poor survival rates. Significantly, 50% of all breast cancers in young women are diagnosed during this postpartum period, making it a major health problem for young women worldwide. Our research shows that mammary gland involution—the process through which the breast returns to its original, resting state after pregnancy and lactation—contributes to these worse outcomes.

We found that mammary gland involution can be targeted with therapies for breast cancer prevention. Anti-inflammatory drugs given to mice during involution slows breast cancer growth by promoting an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer immune response.

This research project aims to capitalize on this discovery to develop a new approach for preventing young women’s breast cancers.

Our study will:

• Investigate the potential of vitamin D, an agent with well-known anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer actions, for breast cancer prevention.
• Research how vitamin D deficiency affects the immune system during mammary gland involution, and how this altered immune response contributes to breast cancer development.
• Explore whether treatment with vitamin D during involution can promote an immune response that prevents breast cancer growth during the postpartum period. A major advantage to targeting the window of involution is the potential to increase prevention efficiency, while decreasing the negative side effects associated with long-term treatments.

CRC is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. Black Americans are 20% more likely to get CRC and 40% more likely to die of it than other racial and ethnic groups, and African immigrants may be particularly vulnerable. CRC screening can lead to early detection and improve disease survival.

The FITx3 research project aims to increase access to CRC screening in Black communities with low screening rates. Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) is a highly effective and potentially more acceptable screening method than colonoscopy. Individuals can mail a FIT sample from home, with follow-up colonoscopy if indicated by test results.

This project will:

• Adapt empowering methods that have been successfully used to increase voter turnout in Black communities (called “Votex3”) to promote CRC screening in Black communities by leveraging social networks.
• Educate community members about CRC screening and recruit and train three people in their social network (friends/family) for FIT. These three new people will then receive similar training to recruit an additional three people for FIT.
• Develop and tailor training materials to the culture and languages of U.S.-born-immigrant Blacks living in Harlem, New York, where FITx3 will be piloted.

If this research is successful, we can use the findings to develop a larger-scale research program for the early detection of CRC in Black communities throughout New York City and then across the U.S.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MS)-associated Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) threaten more than one third of the U.S. population, and MS-HCC ranks globally as the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death. Due to the absence of symptoms, patients with NAFLD are typically diagnosed at the advanced stage, in which partial liver removal or liver transplantation lead to low cure rates due to the frequent recurrence ratio after surgical intervention.

Early detection and therapeutic approaches to prevent non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and HCC development are considered the best option, along with the discovery of druggable molecules applicable to patients with HCC.
This research will explore the role of PIDDosome, a large molecular platform in which Casp2 is activated, in NASH and HCC development, and will address PIDDosome’s effect on S1P activation and liver fat accumulation.

Cervical cancer can be prevented and controlled if it is detected before it progresses. Unfortunately, underserved inner city women are less likely to get follow-up care after an abnormal Pap smear test result.

I have developed and tested a telephone counseling intervention that improves the rates of follow-up after an abnormal Pap smear result among urban, medically underserved women.  While telephone counseling improves diagnostic behaviors and outcomes, it is difficult to integrate this type of outreach to patients into the clinical setting. My research shows, however, that sending text messages should reach more patients, and not burden healthcare providers.

This project aims to adapt our evidence-based telephone counseling intervention to a new program, the Health Enhancement Resource System (HERS), a text message-based tailored counseling intervention. For those patients who receive the counseling texts but still miss their scheduled follow-up appointment, I will explore whether a health coaching call improves attendance at the clinic.

Study findings will show how feasible, acceptable, and patient-friendly the text message-based tailored counseling intervention is in increasing attendance at the initial screening follow-up appointment. It will also show us how effective additional health coaching calls are for those who still miss their initial appointments.

Exposure to radon gas at home is the second largest cause of lung cancer, after smoking, and accounts for more than 21,000 deaths per year. Despite this, it has proven difficult to motivate individuals to act against threats like radon that are invisible, colorless and odorless and cause cancer only after a long latent period.

Traditional methods of radon education (brochures) have had little impact on increasing radon testing of homes. This research compares the effectiveness of radon information delivered via the radon smartphone app versus the usual method (printed brochures).

We will compare these two methods for their effectiveness based on how individuals fare on their responses to these different interventions, including measures of:

• Radon knowledge
• Attitudes toward radon testing
• Ordering and using a test kit
• Returning the kit to the lab for analysis

This research is strategically placed, as North Dakota has the highest residential radon levels in the U.S. and Grand Forks County has the highest radon levels within North Dakota.

Early-onset colorectal cancer, generally defined as colorectal cancer diagnosed in individuals younger than 50 years of age, has increased worldwide for unknown reasons. While the mortality of later-onset colorectal cancer (diagnosed at age >50) has significantly improved by colonoscopy screening and treatment advances, early-onset colorectal cancer is difficult to prevent, and little is known about whether or how it differs from later-onset colorectal cancer.

Two components of the immune system, T cells and macrophages, play critical roles in the body’s response to colorectal cancer. However, it remains uncertain how these immune cells affect the development of early-onset colorectal cancer.

I will examine differences in immune cells in colorectal cancer between early-onset and later-onset colorectal cancers. I will also look at the effects of immunomodulatory lifestyle factors, such as obesity, physical activity, and marine omega-3 fatty acid intake, on the development of early-onset and later-onset colorectal cancers.

This research will provide scientific evidence on how the immune system is involved in the development of early-onset colorectal cancer.

White button mushrooms (WBM) are the most highly consumed mushroom in the U.S. and worldwide. Health benefits of mushrooms, such as WBM, may include decreased risk of breast cancer based on comparisons of dietary intake of mushrooms in women who have breast cancer relative to those without breast cancer.

Studies also indicate the possibility that WBM may reduce obesity and metabolic problems associated with obesity, such as fatty liver changes. The preventive effects of WBM may be due to improved responses of immune cells (white blood cells) and reduced chronic inflammation, that is, low-grade inflammation associated with obesity and obesity-related conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

We are investigating WBM as a novel, effective dietary approach to prevent breast cancer in postmenopausal women with obesity and increased risk of breast cancer. In a WBM trial with obese women at high risk of breast cancer, we will test blood and breast fat before and after WBM for effects on immune cell and inflammation biomarkers. If successful, the study will support the design of large–scale, multi-institutional clinical trials of WBM for prevention of obesity-associated breast cancer.

There is a critical need for an effective pancreatic cancer screening tool.

• Only 10% of patients survive 5 years after diagnosis.
• Most are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread, and a cure is no longer possible.
• There are no obvious warning signs for the disease, and no screening tool available for the general population.

Successful screening programs exist for people with a family history of the disease or inherited genetic mutations only. Screening the general population is not feasible because it is a relatively rare disease and the process is invasive and expensive.

Studies have shown that people who eventually develop pancreatic cancer experience early signs and symptoms such as stomach pain, weight loss, diabetes, depression, and many others. Individually, each of these is relatively common or vague, or just not specific enough to alarm of pancreatic cancer development.

We found that when we programmed a computer to learn the unique combination of multiple symptoms of cancer patients (“Machine Learning”), it was able to apply it to a new population and identify some of those at risk of developing cancer, a year before they eventually do.  

We aim to improve risk prediction in two ways:

• Develop a sophisticated model based on data that considers the patient’s blood work, medications, symptoms and more
• Use novel technology to correlate the specific microorganism composition of an individual with their risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Lung cancer is responsible for nearly 25% of cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. Lung cancer screening with annual low-dose CT (LDCT) scan, however, has transformed the landscape of lung cancer survival by identifying cancers at an earlier, potentially curable stage. Although large clinical trials have demonstrated a reduction in lung cancer mortality with LDCT, many studies report that less than 10% of eligible individuals have been screened.

Our project aims to improve lung cancer screening adherence among Black/African American patients by identifying specific cost-and convenience-related barriers and designing approaches to overcome these hurdles.

• In Aim 1, we will examine whether insurance status and neighborhood-level economic factors are associated with lung cancer screening adherence among all races, and we will identify additional factors that increase financial burdens among patients eligible for screening.
• In Aim 2, we will test whether telemedicine has improved screening adherence and identify additional convenience-related factors to facilitate screening.

Melanoma is a deadly cancer.

• Studies estimated more than 100,000 new cases occurred in in the United States in 2020, with more than 6,800 deaths.
• The main cause for the disease is exposure to excessive ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in sunlight, which often results in a sunburn.
• Repeat sunburns during childhood are particularly dangerous, often increasing melanoma risk in later life.

Fortunately, melanoma is highly preventable and treatable if detected early. We will investigate new ways of measuring UVR damage in the skin and we will study how sunburns and UVR exposure causes this damage depending on the genetic makeup of an individual. Here, we will study how skin damage by UVR can be used in groups of people of different complexions to promote more mole formation, as moles are considered signals for melanoma risk. Our work will identify high-risk groups and inform us on how to prevent melanoma in those who are most likely to get it. 

Despite prostate cancer being the most common male cancer, screening for prostate cancer using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test remains controversial because screening has both benefits and harms:

• Screening can prevent men from developing metastatic prostate cancer and dying from the disease.
• “Smart” screening strategies now exist, which focuses screening on men who have the highest risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
• Screening remains underutilized in younger, healthy men and overused in older, less healthy men.
• While beneficial, there is also a risk with screening of overdiagnosis and overtreatment of slow-growing tumors.

We developed a decision support software for PSA screening and programmed it into the physicians’ electronic health record.

The tool had 3 parts:

1. a screening guideline (who, when and how often to screen),
2. a conversation guide for shared decision making and
3. a health maintenance module to schedule automated reminders for repeat screening

We found strong support for this tool from the physicians who were very satisfied with it. The current application is a continuation of this work where we now wish to do a larger study within the primary care network, to test the usefulness of this innovative technology as compared to no tool. We want to study if the tool helps physicians improve screening for men who are most likely to benefit. 

• It is estimated that 1 in every 279 people has inherited a mutation in a Lynch Syndrome gene from one of their parents.
• Lynch Syndrome causes approximately 3% of colon cancers in the U.S. each year and mutation carriers have a high lifetime risk of developing colon cancer (up to 80%) and other cancers.
• Chronic use of aspirin lowers the risk of developing Lynch Syndrome-related cancers by 30%, but high-dose aspirin can cause side effects.

Findings indicate that the cholesterol-lowering agent atorvastatin (Lipitor) dramatically decreases the formation of early colon lesions in mice when given before any evidence of polyps or cancer. Atorvastatin decreases colon tumor development in mice with existing tumors only when given in combination with low dose aspirin, as determined by colonoscopy. The goal of the present study is to determine if atorvastatin (Lipitor), like aspirin, can reduce the risk of colon cancer in humans with Lynch Syndrome.

• Patients with Lynch Syndrome will be asked to take atorvastatin, with or without aspirin, for 6 weeks.
• At the end of that time, cells will be obtained from the lining of the colon and examined for markers associated with early transition to cancer, such as increased cell division and resistance to cell death.

A second study goal is to determine if subjects found the study procedures (e.g., taking medication) acceptable and were able to complete all drug doses.

For our research, we will:

• Use state-of-the-art methods to identify and characterize the bacterial communities that live in the esophagus and potential tumor-causing bacterial members of these communities.
• Study whether they affect the risk of esophageal cancer.
• Determine if there are abnormal esophageal microbiomes that associate with a precancerous condition called Barrett’s Esophagus (BE), or with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).

We will identify potential cancer-causing bacterial species in three groups of patients:

1. Healthy people
2. People with stable Barrett’s esophagus
3. People with Barrett’s esophagus who progressed to esophageal adenocarcinoma.

We will characterize the esophageal microbiomes and potential cancer-causing bacteria… [and] then use these results in a second set of studies in the group of Barrett’s esophagus patients who progressed or did not progress to esophageal adenocarcinoma to validate and further extend our initial results.

We will then use the only known prospective natural history cohort study of Barrett’s esophagus– a tremendous strength of our proposal – to determine what types of bacterial communities and specific bacterial species in the esophagus are associated with BE and indicate a high risk for esophageal adenocarcinoma.

This research could lead to low-risk therapies that would prevent many of the 20,000 deaths that occur each year from esophageal cancer. 

Treatment for NAFLD involves lifestyle behavior change. However, changing these behaviors and losing weight is difficult and typically requires additional help from health care or other professionals. The goal of this project is to develop an engaging and culturally-appropriate intervention for Hispanic NAFLD patients that will help them lose weight. This process begins by having discussions with Hispanic NAFLD patients to identify an appropriate intervention format and delivery, and address Hispanic culture and concerns about NAFLD specifically.

Upon finalizing the behavioral lifestyle intervention, I will:

• Test it with 15 Hispanic NAFLD patients to see if they were satisfied with it or recommend any additional changes.
• Compare the results with 15 Hispanic NAFLD patients who did not receive the intervention to see if the adapted intervention was successful in changing physical activity, diet, alcohol use, weight and liver function.
• Have an adapted intervention that will be available to test in a larger sample of Hispanic NAFLD patients to determine if it helps them lose weight and improve their liver function more than the usual care from their health professionals.

Toxic metal contamination of our food and water causes multiple cancers and is worsening around the globe, yet it receives very little attention from the medical community. For example, children living within two miles of the Houston Ship Channel, a metal-polluted region, had a 56% higher rate of acute leukemia than those living ten miles away.  

• Toxic metals are associated with increased risk of MDS, AML, and other cancers. 
• MDS can progress to AML and represents an important pre-cancerous state for studying cancer prevention. 

Toxic metals can be removed from the blood and bone marrow by a process called “chelation,” using FDA-approved medications that are inexpensive and have a long history of safety.  

We will optimize metal detoxification during standard MDS therapy. We will establish optimal dosing and determine whether removing toxic metals from patients with the pre-leukemia MDS can prevent progression to AML.  

Brain cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in children. We hypothesize that brain cancer formation is correlated with microsatellite variations at specific regions in the DNA close to genes.

A previous analysis of medulloblastoma patient germline DNA (from the body, not from the tumor), identified variations in 139 microsatellites regions that are significantly associated with the presence of the tumor, compared to DNA from healthy individuals. Therefore, these cancer-associated microsatellites existed before the tumor was formed and suggest a role in cancer predisposition. A signature group of 43 of these microsatellites was capable of distinguishing children with medulloblastoma from healthy controls with a high degree of accuracy. 

Our study aims to:

• Expand this work to other brain cancer types.
• Investigate the mechanisms of the predisposition to improve our understanding of how and why these tumors form in certain individuals and point the way toward preventive strategies.

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), specifically squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), represent the most commonly diagnosed skin cancers. The UVB spectra of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from sun exposure is a well-established skin stressor and causative agent of skin SCCs. The skin is colonized by a lot of microbes that help maintain epithelial homeostasis and encounter the same UVB exposure as the skin. However, skin microbiome remains an untapped resource to develop new preventive strategies.

My research will:

• Define host and microbial biomarkers using next-generation approaches that provide prevention and diagnostic targets for UVB-associated SCCs that can potentially be for other forms of skin cancer.
• Develop cancer prevention therapeutics that leverage host-microbiota interactions to alter host responses to prevent UVB-induced SCCs.
• Use cross-disciplinary approaches to investigate effects of UVB on host-microbiota interactions.
• Identify microbial biomarkers to screen patients susceptible to UVB-induced skin carcinomas.
• Provide a low-cost, noninvasive strategy to manage skin cancers.