Overview
Meira Epplein is a cancer epidemiologist interested in modifiable risk factors in under-served populations. She is a Professor in Population Health Sciences and in Medicine, and currently serves as Co-Leader of the Cancer Risk, Detection, and Interception research program of the Duke Cancer Institute. Previously, she was a tenured faculty member at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, after two years as a post-doctoral fellow with the Multiethnic Cohort Study at the University of Hawaii. Prior to earning her PhD in epidemiology from the University of Washington, she completed an MA in international studies, and spent five years as a program officer for the Asian research think tank, the National Bureau of Asian Research.
Dr. Epplein’s research program is focused on the prevention of infection-associated cancers, and has specifically centered around the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, a spiral, gram-negative bacterium that infects approximately 50% of the world’s population, and is the leading carcinogenic infectious agent according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Her research seeks to determine the most toxigenic forms of the bacteria so to identify the highest risk populations which can then be targeted for antibiotic therapy, which has been shown to be effective for risk reduction. At the same time, she is committed to furthering our understanding of the co-factors involved in both H. pylori-associated disease risk and benefit, as the bacteria has inhabited the stomachs of humans for over 100,000 years, and so very likely also confers certain biological advantages to its hosts.
She has been PI of four grants from the NIH focusing on a greater understanding of the diversity of Helicobacter pylori and host response to infection and the association with gastrointestinal cancers. Through this work she has established the importance of the understanding of H. pylori as a heterogeneous exposure, identifying bacteria-specific blood biomarkers of increased cancer risk, and finding that these biomarkers interact with other potentially modifiable factors such as diet and aspirin use, in their association with the development of gastric cancer. She has also found significant differences in H. pylori prevalence and antibody response by self-reported race within the US, and have begun local initiatives to understand the prevalence of H. pylori in the community and clinic and to move towards eradication trials for high-risk individuals.
Area of expertise: Epidemiology
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Reply to S. Sorscher.
Journal Article J Clin Oncol · September 10, 2024 Full text Link to item CitePotent Tool: Helicobacter pylori Treatment to Reduce the Risk of Both Gastric and Colorectal Cancers.
Journal Article J Clin Oncol · June 1, 2024 Full text Link to item CitePrevalence of the cagA Virulence Factor Varies by Race Among Helicobacter pylori -Infected Patients Undergoing Upper Endoscopy.
Journal Article Clin Transl Gastroenterol · June 1, 2024 INTRODUCTION: We designed a race-conscious study to assess the presence of Helicobacter pylori v irulence factor cagA in a retrospective cohort of patients with active H. pylori infection. METHODS: We compared cagA status by race in gastric tissue samples ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
IMAGINE: Intestinal Metaplasia And Gastritis INtErception Study
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2028Delineating the underlying reasons for the racial disparity in gastric cancer incidence in the United States
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Cancer Institute · 2022 - 2027Duke Preparing Research Scholars in Biomedical Sciences- Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2022 - 2027View All Grants