Research
- 1. Epidemiology and molecular study of primary liver cancer
Cancer that first develops in the liver is called primary liver cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common one among them. 75%- 85% of primary liver cancers are attributed to HCC, which is the third most common cancer in Bangladesh. HBV infection is the leading cause of HCC in Bangladesh, which is estimated at 46.9% to 61%. However, there is not much information on the definite risk factors of HCC and no appropriate and reliable data showing the etiological and epidemiological perspectives yet.
In this study, we are going to take an elaborate history of HCC patients, details of food habit patterns, smoking and drinking habits, and also check clinical profiles and etiological agents of HCC patients. Our study sheds light on the association of HBV and HCV infection for the development of HCC, as well as some other risk factors like food habit patterns, and smoking and drinking habits for the development of HCC in Bangladeshi patients.
Gene mutations can contribute to impaired gene function and thus lead to cellular malignancies. Epigenetics and other environmental factors may induce such genetic mutations in different locus of known cancer causing genes. We therefore map a list of candidate genes (p53, TERT), whose mutations can cause HCC and thereby explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of HCC.
- 2. HPV and its role in Bangladeshi population causing oral cancer
Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy around the world. Infection occurs mostly in oral cavity, tonsil, and head & neck regions. The incidence of known etiological risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption etc. are associated with this cancer is declining while the incidence of HPV associated OSCC, with no smoking or drinking history, is rising rapidly both in USA and some European countries. Although HPV associated cervical cancer is the second most significant cancer related death in Bangladesh, but there is no data yet with HPV related oral cancer in Bangladesh.
It is therefore essential to start a comprehensive investigation to explore the prevalence of HPV induced oropharyngeal carcinoma among Bangladeshi population. Worldwide the increased incidence of HPV associated OSCC attributes mostly due to increased oral sex practices and more oral sex partners. However, approximately 8-40% of HPV-positive OSCC patients never had any oral sex. Thus the sexual behavior and other risk factors must be evaluated to explore the actual reason behind such increased incidence of OSCC.
We have started a collaborative research with National Institute of Cancer Research Hospital (NICRH) and Dhaka Medical College (DMC) for the collection of OSCC samples. Thus the goal of our study is to identify the HPV-positive OSCC patients in Bangladesh and explore the potential risk factors causing HPV infection among Bangladeshi OSCC patients.
- 3. Protective role of Stevia and Vitamin D on chronic kidney disease (CKD)
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex disorder creates significant global health problem and increased economic burden. It has high global prevalence between 11 to 13% which is the third among top 25 leading causes of death worldwide. A significant number of studies have reported increased expression of ACE gene in CKD patients. In addition studies with both human and animal model have shown Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) and vitamin D analogue have renoprotective role. We therefore want to investigate the impact of Stevia and vitamin D on CKD mice by analyzing ACE gene expressions.
