Grantees:
Shehnaz Hussain, UC Davis professor of public health sciences
Jamie Gabriel, Los Angeles County Fire Department fire captain
Chemicals in smoke and gear may not be the only reason cancer is the leading cause of death in firefighters. Hussain and Gabriel lead a research team looking at physical, mental and behavioral hazards linked to cancer in firefighters. These include sleep deficiencies, metabolic imbalances and stress. The $1 million grant will expand a study that will follow a group of 800 California firefighters for a year.
The researchers will collect blood samples, body composition analysis, diet assessment, questionnaires and clinical tests. The study also will include continuous monitoring of physical activity, heart rate and sleep.
Cancer risk and protective factors will be examined together with key cancer biomarkers that can gauge cancer risk. Results from this research could lead to safer practices at work and behavioral changes that lower the risk of cancer.
Hussain also serves as co-investigator on three other research projects funded by grants from the University of California Office of the President. Researchers in one project are investigating exposure of firefighters to airborne carcinogens. Another grant is supporting the work of scientists who are examining longitudinal changes in DNA methylation in firefighters exposed to combustion products. DNA methylation is a change resulting from attachment of one or more methyl groups that can influence certain cellular processes related to development, aging and development of cancer.
Four grants will be awarded to cancer center researchers as they team up with fire officials who are equally committed to learning more about cancers that comprise the leading cause of death among firefighters.
Grantees:
John McPherson, UC Davis professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine
Jeff Meston, executive director of the California Fire Chiefs Association
Some cancer-causing chemicals that firefighters encounter can slowly but cumulatively damage their DNA. Project partners McPherson and Meston will lead a team that will study tissue from firefighters who have been diagnosed with cancer. With help from the $350,000 grant, they’ll analyze DNA from cells within tumors, looking for telltale signs that each chemical leaves behind. The goal of the grant is to identify the exact carcinogens to which firefighters are exposed over their careers and that are most likely to cause the kind of DNA damage that leads to cancer. This expanded knowledge will enable better practices for limiting exposure through training and changes to protocols and gear.
