The main research interest of the Centre is in genetic susceptibility to common cancers and the aim of Professor Easton’s research group is to identify and characterise genetic variants associated with cancer risk, with particular emphasis on the hormone related cancers. Much of their recent work has focused on the analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to characterise common susceptibility variants, and the characterisation of susceptibility loci through fine-mapping. The group has conducted GWAS in breast cancer, prostate, endometrial and testis cancer. Prof Easton’s group also co-ordinates three large international consortia: the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), Prostate Cancer Association Group to Investigate Cancer Associated Alterations in the Genome (PRACTICAL a collaboration with Professor Ros Eeles – team leader at ICR, London-) and, in collaboration with Prof Antoniou and Dr Georgia Chenevix-Trench (head of Cancer Genetics at QIMR Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia), the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA). Professor Easton’s current work includes evaluating the role of rarer variants in breast and prostate cancer, and susceptibility to cancer-related traits including breast density, steroid hormones and telomere length.
