Brid M. Ryan, Ph.D., M.P.H.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 37, Room 3060C
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- 240-760-6849
- Brid_Ryan@nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Dr. Ryan left CCR in April 2021. Dr. Ryan was among the first to demonstrate asymmetric division of DNA in cancer. This process is thought to underpin how tumors self-renew and regenerate. Her studies examined the roles of the tumor microenvironment and p53 in regulating this process in lung cancer. Her lab oversaw an integrative and translational approach to lung cancer research, examining the genetic, environmental, and biological contributions to racial disparities in lung cancer incidence. Her research program also developed biomarkers for the early detection of lung cancer.
Areas of Expertise
1) lung cancer 2) asymmetric division 3) molecular epidemiology 4) health disparities 5) small non-coding RNAs 6) cancer biomarkers
Research
A Dialogue on Cancer Disparities, Prevention, and Research
Our research program addressed several unanswered questions in lung cancer using an approach that integrated epidemiological, experimental and translational research. Disparities in lung cancer incidence, especially amongst men, have been evident for several decades. However, the potential etiological, genetic, and biological reasons behind these differences were underexplored and were not well understood. Our laboratory investigated the science behind these health disparities and used a multidisciplinary approach to address these questions. Our laboratory also applied a biological framework to understand the mechanism of interaction between genetics and environment with regard to lung carcinogenesis. Specifically, we were interested in both early and adult life exposures and mechanistically understanding how these exposures mediate lung cancer risk later in life.
Publications
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Relationship between Aspirin Use and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Risk and Survival.
Comparative Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Coding and Noncoding RNA Differences in NSCLC from African Americans and European Americans.
A DRD1 polymorphism predisposes to lung cancer among those exposed to secondhand smoke during childhood.
Lung cancer health disparities
Microenvironmental modulation of asymmetric cell division in human lung cancer cells
Biography
Brid M. Ryan, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Ryan completed her undergraduate training in biochemistry at University College Cork, Ireland, in 2001. She received her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from University College Dublin and in 2005 was accepted into the NCI Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program. In 2007, she completed a Masters of Public Health at University College Dublin. She worked under the mentorship of Dr. Curtis Harris during her postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute. In 2013, she became an NIH Earl Stadtman tenure track investigator at the NCI.
Dr. Ryan left CCR in April 2021 and is now a Special Volunteer.
