International Collaborative Research Integrating the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study and the Multiethnic Cohort Study

The Multiethnic Cohort Study (MEC）([https://www.uhcancercenter.org/mec]NCC管轄の外部サイトにリンクします) is a cohort study led primarily by the University of Hawaii Cancer Center (UHCC) and the University of Southern California. Between 1993 and 1996, baseline questionnaires were administered to approximately 215,000 residents aged 45–75 years living in Hawaii and California (including 56,000 Japanese Americans, 49,000 Caucasians, 14,000 Native Hawaiians, 35,000 African Americans, and 47,000 Latinos). The cohort has been followed for outcomes such as mortality and cancer incidence. Between 2001 and 2006, biospecimens (blood and urine) were collected, and samples from approximately 70,000 participants are currently stored.

In contrast, the Japan Public Health Center based Prospective Study (JPHC Study)
([https://epi.ncc.go.jp/jphc/index.html]　NCC管轄の外部サイトにリンクします) enrolled approximately 140,000 community residents aged 40–69 years across 11 Public Health Center areas in Japan between 1990 and 1993. The study conducted three rounds of questionnaire surveys at five-year intervals, and collected blood samples and health check-up data from approximately 60,000 participants. Health outcomes such as mortality, cancer, cardiovascular disease and others have been followed. At the time of the five year follow-up survey (1995–1999), the participants were aged 45–74 years, aligning with the age range of the MEC study at baseline.

Because the two cohorts were established during similar periods and targeted comparable age groups, integrating their data enables epidemiological studies linking Japanese populations in Japan and the United States, as well as studies involving multiethnic groups—Caucasians, Native Hawaiians, African Americans, and Latinos. Our aim is to elucidate factors underlying differences in cancer risk between Japanese populations living in different countries, as well as across multiple ethnicities with diverse environmental exposures, genetic backgrounds, and disease patterns.
With the funding shown below, we are building a multidimensional research platform that enables investigation of lifestyle risk factors, the internal biological environment measured by plasma biomarkers, and genetic susceptibility. Analyses are underway to identify risk factors specific to Japanese populations, evaluate the impact of the internal biological environment, and clarify interactions among lifestyle, the internal biological environment, and genetic susceptibility.

Funding Source

Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (International Collaborative Research)
「日本人・多民族コホートの統合と多次元データの利活用によるがんのリスク因子の解明」
Project/Area Number：24KK0178
Principal Investigator： Motoki Iwasaki
Project Period (FY)：2024-09-09 – 2028-03-31
https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-24KK0178/