Molecular and Pharmaco-Epidemiology Unit

The Molecular and Pharmaco-Epidemiology Unit conducts interdisciplinary research at the interface of epidemiology, biostatistics, molecular oncology and clinical research, with the overarching goal of improving cancer prevention, risk stratification and precision oncology.

Our research combines population-based studies, clinical trials, real-world evidence, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, biomarker discovery, and advanced statistical methodologies. A distinctive feature of our Unit is the development and application of rigorous quantitative methods to ensure the generation of reliable, reproducible and clinically meaningful evidence. We place particular emphasis on critical appraisal of study design, sources of bias, causal inference, evidence synthesis and the appropriate interpretation of complex biomedical data, contributing to the advancement of evidence-based medicine.

We investigate genetic susceptibility, lifestyle and environmental exposures, pharmacological interventions, and molecular and imaging biomarkers to better understand cancer risk, prognosis and treatment response. A major focus of our research is the integration of multi-level data - including clinical, epidemiological, molecular, genomic, microbiome, metabolomic and radiomic information - to develop personalized strategies for cancer prevention and patient management. We study gene-environment interactions, polygenic risk, microbiome-host interactions, vitamin D metabolism, and biomarkers of inflammation and metabolism, together with their impact on cancer development and clinical outcomes.

The Unit coordinates translational and prevention studies evaluating lifestyle interventions, low-dose pharmacological approaches and drug repurposing strategies. More recently, our research has expanded towards artificial intelligence and radiomics, integrating imaging, clinical and biological data to develop robust prediction models while critically evaluating their methodological validity, reproducibility and clinical utility.

Through national and international collaborations, our aim is to generate high-quality evidence that translates into personalized prevention, early detection and treatment strategies, ultimately improving patient outcomes while promoting methodological excellence in clinical and translational cancer research.