Envision zero breast cancer

Dr. Dimitri Abrahamson is a scientist at UCSF, working alongside Dr. Kimberly Badal in her ongoing chemical mixtures study. As a computational chemist using virtual laboratories, in addition to test tubes, Dr. Abrahamson’s expertise is in the connection of technology, medicine, and chemistry. Camille Sytko (Science Communications Intern) and Lianna Hartmour (Zero Breast Cancer Program and Communications Director) at the Collaborative for Health & Environment (CHE) had the opportunity to interview him to better understand the important role machine learning plays in the study, and what benefits machine learning may continue to bring to the field of environmental health.

This blog is the fourth in a series about an ongoing study that examines how environmental exposures to chemical mixtures may contribute to breast cancer risk (the first blog explains the study, the second explains non-targeted analysis, and the third explains DNA methylation). The study is led by Dr. Kimberly Badal from the University of California, San Francisco. In addition to collaborating with other researchers, Dr. Badal’s study prioritizes collaboration with breast cancer research advocates. The three advocates involved in this study are breast cancer survivors whose lived experience makes them uniquely suited to communicate the need for environmental breast cancer research and ensure that the research represents patient interests.

Zero Breast Cancer’s Lianna Hartmour had the opportunity to speak with advocates Vivian Lee, Susie Brain, and Diane Heditsian about why there is a need for advocate involvement in environmental breast cancer research. She also spoke with Dr. Badal to hear her perspective on how advocates inspired her research.

In this third blog in our series exploring how chemical mixtures relate to breast cancer risk, we explain what DNA methylation is and how it is relevant to a groundbreaking new research study. (Read the first blog explaining the study background and the second blog explaining non-targeted analysis.)

The study is led by Dr. Kimberly Badal from the University of California, San Francisco, with help from Dr. Hannah Lui Park from University of California, Irvine and other researchers. It aims to find out which individual chemicals and chemical mixtures are linked to breast cancer. The study will give insight into how we can reduce exposure to chemicals to lower the risk of getting breast cancer. We interviewed Dr. Park about DNA methylation, the method she brings to the study.