Progress arid Perspectives. Ffederica Perera Molecular epidemiology uses an interdisciplinary approach, combining the most recent techniques in molecular biology with more traditional epidemiological methods in order to identify precise factors in disease causation in humans. Efforts are ongoing to validate biological markers for carcinogens found in the ambient environment, in a number of occupational and clinical settings, and in cigarette smoke. These biologic markers, which are measured directly in human cells and tissues, can provide quantitative data on the biologically effective doses of certain environmental toxicants as well as on their early molecular effects. During the past year, our research efforts have resulted in substantial progress in validating biomarkers in populations with well-defined exposures.
Some examples follow.
These populations include urban residents exposed to air pollution from combustion of fossil fuel, foundry workers, and lung cancer cases and controls. These studies are providing a detailed understanding of the reproducibility of methods and the variation in molecular response among individuals having comparable exposures. Such a finding would suggest that the ability to efficiently activate and bind carcinogens may have been a risk factor in their disease. A total of 136 lung cancer patients at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City have participated in this study. Controls consisted of 115 patients with no prior history of cancer or benign lung disease who were being treated at the same hospital for orthopedic conditions.