The Era of Biomarkers and Precision Medicine in Colorectal Cancer: An Interview with Ajay Goel

Abstract

In this interview, Professor Ajay Goel speaks with Storm Johnson, Commissioning Editor for Epigenomics, on his work to date in the field of epigenetic biomarkers in colorectal cancer.

Ajay Goel, PhD, is a Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Molecular Diagnostics, at the Beckman Research Institute and Associate Director of Basic Science at the City of Hope comprehensive Cancer Center. He also serves as Director of Biotech Innovations at the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA.

Dr Goel has spent more than 25 years researching cancer and has been the lead author or contributor to more than 350 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed international journals and several book chapters. He is also a primary inventor on more than 40 international patents aimed at developing various disease biomarkers or therapeutic targets for gastrointestinal cancers. He is currently using advanced genomic, epigenomic and transcriptomic approaches to develop novel circulating, liquid biopsy-based biomarkers (e.g., cell-free nucleic acids, exosomes) for the early detection, prognosis and determination of predictive responses to chemotherapy and targeted drugs in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. In addition, his group is interested in the identification of novel therapeutic targets, particularly immune therapy, for various GI cancers. His research also involves understanding the role of gut microbiome, health disparities and the prevention of GI cancers using integrative and alternative approaches.

Dr Goel is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Gastroenterology Association. He is on the international editorial boards of several journals, including Gastroenterology, Clinical Cancer Research, Carcinogenesis, PLoS ONE, Molecular Carcinogenesis, Scientific Reports, Epigenomics, Future Oncology, Alternative Therapies in Heath and Medicine, Digestive Diseases and Sciences, and Molecular Therapy Oncolytics. He is also actively involved in peer-reviewing activities for more than 100 international scientific journals and various grant review panels of various national and international funding organizations.

His research has been actively funded by various private and federal organizations, including the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, American Cancer Society and state organizations. He has won more than a dozen national and international awards and honors and has been invited for visiting professorships by various national and international academic institutions and academic bodies.

Keywords::

• biomarkers
• colorectal cancer
• epigenetic mechanisms
• epigenetics
• gastrointestinal cancer
• miRNA
• noncoding RNA
• precision medicine

Financial&competing interests disclosure

A Goel is a member of the Epigenomics editorial board. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Interview disclosure

The opinions expressed in this interview are those of A Goel and do not necessarily reflect the views of Future Medicine Ltd.