STAGE ISSS: David Conti

Join us for the next instalment of the STAGE International Speaker Seminar Series (ISSS) with

Dr. David Conti
Professor and Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Chair in Cancer Prevention,
Division of Biostatistics,
Department of Population and Public Health Sciences,
Associate Director of Data Science Integration,
Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center,
University of Southern California

Talk Title:

Development of a Trans-Ancestry Genetic Risk Score for Prostate Cancer

Abstract:

Prostate cancer is a highly heritable disease with large disparities in incidence rates across ancestry populations. I will present a recent multi-ancestry meta-analysis of prostate cancer genome-wide association studies and the methodological issues surrounding the construction of a genetic risk score (GRS) that is effective in multiple ancestry groups. The top GRS decile is associated with a 4-fold increase in risk for men of European, African, and Asian ancestry and for Latino men. These risks, combined with population-specific incidence rates lead to a 26-38% lifetime risk of prostate cancer across populations. These findings support the role of germline variation contributing to population differences in prostate cancer risk, with the GRS offering a tool for risk stratification.

Speaker Profile:

David Conti received his B.S. and M.S. in Earth Systems at Stanford University and then trained in Genetic Epidemiology at Case Western Reserve University. Since then, he has been at the University of Southern California and is currently a Professor of Population and Public Health, Division of Biostatistics. In addition, he is the Associate Director for Data Science Integration for the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at USC and the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Chair in Cancer Prevention. His research covers both applied genetic and environmental epidemiology and statistical methods development, predominantly in cancer research. Dr. Conti has been PI of several projects to develop statistical methods for high dimensional interactions, for the integration of genetic and omic data, and to develop polygenic risk scores that are effective across diverse populations. He is committed to collaborative and team science. He is currently Director of the Data Science Core for a large program project investigating aggressive prostate cancer in African American men integrating the built environment, germline and somatic genetic profiles, gene expression, and tumor microenvironment data.

Sponsors

CANSSI Ontario STAGE (STAGE) is a training program in genetic epidemiology and statistical genetics, housed at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and funded by CANSSI Ontario at U of T, an extra-departmental unit in the Faculty of Arts & Science that is home to the Ontario Regional Centre of the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute (CANSSI).

Seminars are sponsored by The Hospital for Sick Children, the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, the McLaughlin Centre of the University of Toronto, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Ontario Cancer Institute of the University Health Network.

Photography Disclosure:

Photographs and/or video may be taken of participants at STAGE events. These photos/videos are for the Program’s use only and may appear on its website, in printed brochures, or in other promotional or reporting materials. By attending STAGE events, you accept the possibility that you may be videotaped or photographed. If you have any concerns, please inform us by sending an e-mail to esther.berzunza@utoronto.ca