# Full Research Project 2  Nicotine Dependence and Lung Cancer Genetics in African Americans

> **NIH NIH U54** · HUNTER COLLEGE · 2020 · $162,122

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Full Research Project 2 - Nicotine Dependence and Lung Cancer Genetics in African Americans
TUFCCC: Camille Ragin, PhD (Leader) HC: Joel Erblich, PhD (Leader)
Despite substantial public health efforts to promote smoking cessation, a significant racial difference in the
burden of lung cancer persists. African Americans (AA) consistently have a higher incidence of lung cancer
compared to Whites. Notably, AA smokers are at increased risk of lung cancer despite the fact that they
typically smoke fewer cigarettes per day than Whites. Research has demonstrated that both lung cancer and
nicotine dependence have strong familial and genetic components, and numerous genetic polymorphisms
have been identified as contributing to risk of developing these conditions. Substantial racial differences in the
association of genetic variants with nicotine metabolism have been reported and strong preliminary evidence
exists that AAs are more likely to be poor metabolizers of tobacco smoke carcinogens, thus predisposed to
greater risk of developing lung cancer. We will, for the first time, systematically explore whether ancestry
informative markers (AIMs) in genes involved in tobacco metabolism and addiction predispose AA smokers to
poor metabolic capacity and greater addiction to tobacco. Leveraging an existing cohort of AA smokers, we will
1) investigate the role of these AIMs in both tobacco metabolism and nicotine dependence and 2) test the
motivational effects of genetic feedback, in two clinical and community samples in two major urban areas:
Philadelphia (n=180) and New York City (n=180). Aim 1 will identify associations between AIMs putatively
related to the tobacco metabolism and detoxification and actual metabolic/detoxification capacity in AA
smokers, Aim 2 will identify associations between AIMs putatively related to addiction pathways and measures
of nicotine dependence among AA smokers, and Aim 3 will test the possibility that genetic feedback about
increased lung cancer risk associated with AA ancestry may influence perceived risk, cancer worry, acute
psychological distress, and motivation to quit smoking. The PIs have unique, yet complementary areas of
expertise in behavioral and genetic factors associated with cigarette smoking and tobacco-related disease. The
proposed study integrates both of these areas of expertise, providing interdisciplinary synergy to yield high
impact results that will not only benefit the investigators, but will have the potential to inform future basic,
translational, and clinical research on enhancing cancer health equity. The collective work generated by this
study will provide novel data that will guide two unique, but complementary, areas of future investigation: (a) a
tailored intervention to promote smoking cessation among AA and (b) future studies of mechanistic processes
involving the role of ancestry informative genetic markers in tobacco-related disease susceptibility and
addiction in AA. This study ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10018485
- **Project number:** 5U54CA221704-03
- **Recipient organization:** HUNTER COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Joel Erblich
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $162,122
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-18 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10018485

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10018485, Full Research Project 2  Nicotine Dependence and Lung Cancer Genetics in African Americans (5U54CA221704-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10018485. Licensed CC0.

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