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ISEO – Inaugural Conference July 22nd & 23rd 2026 - organized by DKFZ

22–23 Jul 2026
Heidelberg Congress Center
Europe/Berlin timezone

Organizing Team

Integrating Physical Activity and Diet into Mechanisms of Metabolic Dysregulation and Cancer Risk: Insights from the MeDOC Consortium

23 Jul 2026, 11:45
1h 15m
Heidelberg Congress Center ( Heidelberg Congress Center )

Heidelberg Congress Center

Heidelberg Congress Center

Czernyring 20 69115 Heidelberg Germany
1 - Scientific Poster Poster Session

Speaker

Dr E. Angela Murphy (Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA)

Description

Obesity and associated metabolic dysfunction are increasingly recognized as major contributors to cancer risk across diverse populations. The National Cancer Institute’s Metabolic Dysregulation and Cancer Risk (MeDOC) Consortium brings together six transdisciplinary research teams to identify mechanisms linking metabolic perturbations to cancer development and to identify actionable strategies for prevention. Given the importance of lifestyle factors, MeDOC is integrating harmonized measures of physical activity and diet to characterize behavioral contributors to metabolic health. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was implemented for studies enrolling participants prospectively and MeDOC harmonized physical activity assessed via questionnaire in historical cohorts. With dietary intake captured by food frequency questionnaires (FFQs), MeDOC is jointly assessing the roles of diet and physical activity in relation to metabolic dysregulation and cancer risk. Data harmonization enables evaluation of dietary patterns, while also positioning physical activity as a primary determinant, mediator, or effect modifier of metabolically driven cancer risk. MeDOC’s scientific aims are advanced through five synergistic projects. A-FABP focuses on fatty acid–binding protein–mediated lipid dysregulation’s impact on breast cancer biology and tumor-associated macrophages. CerMet examines the role of ceramides in colorectal cancer risk and tests ceramide-lowering interventions. iDOC leverages well-characterized large cohorts and deep inflammatory proteomics profiling to identify pathways most representative of the metabolically unhealthy obese state associated with colorectal and liver cancers. REMEDY investigates metabolic and inflammatory drivers of early-onset colorectal cancer, with particular attention to populations experiencing metabolic obesity at lower BMI levels. WELCOM evaluates obesity-altered gut microbiome–immune interactions that may influence breast cancer initiation. The George Washington University-based Coordinating Center provides oversight of harmonization efforts, data infrastructure, and cross-project collaboration. MeDOC’s integrated behavioral, metabolic, and mechanistic approaches offer new opportunities to understand how physical activity and diet may counteract metabolic dysregulation to reduce obesity-associated cancer risk.

Keywords

Physical Activity; Diet; Metabolic Dysregulation; Cancer Risk

Abstract submitters declaration yes
Conflict of Interest & Ethical Approval yes

Author

Dr E. Angela Murphy (Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA)

Co-authors

Dr Loretta DiPietro (Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA) Dr Edward L. Giovannucci (Nutrition Department, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA) Dr Lorne J. Hofseth (Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA) Dr Bing Li (Department of Pathology and Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA) Dr Liza Makowski (Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Center for Cancer Research, College of Medicine, Memphis, TN, USA) Dr Joseph F. Pierre (Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA) Dr Mary C. Playdon (Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA) Dr Scott A. Summers (Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA) Dr Marinella Temprosa (Biostatistics Center and Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA) Dr Deirdre K. Tobias (Nutrition Department, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA) Dr Cornelia M. Ulrich (Department of Population Health Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA) Dr Xuehong Zhang (Yale School of Nursing, Yale University, New Haven, CT and Nutrition Department, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA) Dr James R. Hebert (Cancer Prevention and Control Program and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA)

Presentation materials

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