Andrew Chan, M.D., M.P.H., is a distinctive leader in the field of cancer prevention, having informed the role of inflammation and anti-inflammatory medicine through a remarkably productive record of scientific investigation. He was a recipient of the NCI 2020 Outstanding Investigator Research Award, which supports the development and expansion of his potentially field-transforming precision cancer prevention research program.
As both a gastroenterologist and molecular epidemiologist, Dr. Chan uses his combined expertise to look at the causes and prevention of multiple gastrointestinal diseases. He played a role in the groundbreaking recommendation for the use of aspirin for colorectal cancer prevention by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Following on his critical early trials of aspirin in reducing colorectal cancer risk, he is investigating the use of aspirin as a potential chemopreventive agent in the ASPIRED randomized controlled trial. The effects of daily low-dose (81 mg/day) and standard-dose (325 mg/day) aspirin are measured through changes in urine, plasma, stool, and tissue biomarkers associated with colorectal cancer. While substantial evidence has shown that aspirin reduces the risk of colorectal growths and cancer, his research pursues the how and why of the preventive actions of aspirin.
Dr. Chan leads other studies of chronic digestive diseases, including colorectal, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, and gastrointestinal bleeding. His group applies molecular approaches, such as genetic, metabolomic, proteomic, and biochemical platforms, to populations ranging from large cohort studies to small biomarker-driven clinical trials. His laboratory also studies the oral and gut microbiota as a determinant and mediator of chronic disease.
To learn more about Dr. Chan, read his profile at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.