Cancer Chemoprevention and Epigenomics
Dr. Clarissa Gerhäuser
Cancer chemoprevention, i.e. the use of chemicals, bioactive plant compounds or dietary components to block, inhibit or reverse the development of cancer in normal or preneoplastic tissue, is considered one of the most promising areas in current cancer research.
Consequently, characterization and use of effective cancer chemopreventive agents has become an important issue in public health-related research.
Major Research Directions
- Epigenetic mechanisms in cancer chemoprevention
- Identification of novel chemopreventive agents from various sources
- Investigation of their mode of action by molecular-biological tools
- Demonstration of efficacy in animal models, focussing on mammary, prostate and colon cancer prevention
- Evaluation of bioavailability and metabolism
- Participation in human intervention studies to identify biomarkers for cancer prevention
