Harnessing Studies of Diet and the Gut Microbiome to Reduce Colorectal Cancer Burden

Speaker

Doratha "Armen" Byrd, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Assistant Member
Departments of Cancer Epidemiology Program and Gastrointestinal Oncology
Moffitt Cancer Center

Biography

Dr. Byrd received a B.S. in biology and an M.P.H. in epidemiology from the University of Florida. She completed her Ph.D. in epidemiology at Emory University, where her dissertation research focused on the development and validation of novel, inflammation biomarker panel-weighted dietary and lifestyle inflammation scores, and their associations with colorectal neoplasms. In January 2019, she joined the National Cancer Institute Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics as a postdoctoral fellow. During her time there, she conducted methodologic microbiota studies and investigated associations of the microbiota with cancer risk and of diet with the gut metabolome. In January 2021, she joined Moffitt Cancer Center as an Assistant Member in the Department of Cancer Epidemiology, where she continues to contribute to the reduction of cancer disparities using an integrative, interdisciplinary approach to study lifestyle- and microbiome-mediated mechanisms for cancer risk among diverse populations.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second overall leading cause of cancer death in the United States. CRC poses a disproportionate burden among Black individuals and residents of rural or highly deprived areas, who experience higher incidence and mortality rates. The human colon and rectum host trillions of microbes that comprise the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome has numerous local and systemic physiological effects mechanistically linked to colorectal carcinogenesis, though there remain many gaps in understanding among human populations. The gut microbiome may also influence colorectal carcinogenesis via the production and regulation of metabolites. Importantly and of clinical relevance, the gut microbiome and related metabolites are potentially modifiable, such as through dietary intake. Dr. Byrd’s research seeks to elucidate the interrelationships among diet and lifestyle exposures, the gut microbiome, and cancer risk and progression, particularly among individuals who are disproportionately affected by CRC.