# Engagement of American Indians of Southwestern Tribal Nations in Cancer Genome Sequencing - Diversity Supplement

> **NIH NIH U2C** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2022 · $144,977

## Abstract

Project Summary
Cancer incidence and associated death rates affecting American Indian (AI) communities are significantly
higher than other races in the United States. More specifically, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most
common form of cancer in AI populations with diagnoses occurring at a younger age when compared to other
races. Current sequencing datasets that are used for improving personalized medicine lacks information from
AI cancer samples due to the lack of AI involvement in genomic and genetic research. Our ultimate goal for
this project is to translate our findings to improve precision medicine for all populations, understanding the
unique causes and driver mutations in AI cancer patients is a necessity. We hypothesize that functionally
relevant and unique mutational signatures and molecular pathway disruption exist in the AI cancer samples
and their identification will provide significant insights into cancer pathogenesis, progression, and will also
help to improve diagnoses and treatment. To address this hypothesis, we propose the following aims; 1).
compare mutational signatures identified in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in AI to Hispanic and non-Hispanic
White tumor samples, and 2). determine transcriptional pathway disruption in AI RCC and compare to
Hispanic and non- Hispanic White using RNA sequencing techniques. This project will be crucial in bridging
the gap between precision medicine and AI cancer outcomes by identifying disrupted genes and molecular
pathways and will help to identify targets for therapeutic management and improving the disease outcome in
these communities thereby reducing RCC health disparities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10584299
- **Project number:** 3U2CCA252973-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** JEFFREY M. TRENT
- **Activity code:** U2C (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $144,977
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-02 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10584299

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10584299, Engagement of American Indians of Southwestern Tribal Nations in Cancer Genome Sequencing - Diversity Supplement (3U2CCA252973-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10584299. Licensed CC0.

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