Burkitt's lymphoma studies may also advance research on other cancers, HIV, malaria - news from Fogarty International Center
TRAINING FOR PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: FIC (Fogarty International Center) and CAPRISA (Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa) are sponsoring a two-week follow-up component in South Africa.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is conducting a multicountry and multiyear case-control study of childhood Burkitt’s lymphoma in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. The study, entitled Epidemiology of Burkitt’s Lymphoma in East-African Children and Minors (EMBLEM), will evaluate the role of:
- Repeated malaria infections in endemic Burkitt’s lymphoma,
- Malaria genetic variants in Burkitt’s lymphoma,
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genetic variants in Burkitt’s lymphoma.
The specific hypotheses that will be tested are, whether:
- Carriage of genetic markers that increase resistance to malaria is associated with decreased risk of Burkitt’s lymphoma.
- Certain EBV genetic variants are associated with increased risk for Burkitt’s lymphoma.
In addition, the study will generate a unique data and sample repository to allow for novel study exploration into the etiology and biology of the disease, including the use of genome-wide scans.
To learn more about EMBLEM and Burkitt lymphoma, watch our video.