Professor Montserrat Garcia-Closas

Cancer is a complex disease resulting from the interplay of multiple environmental and genetic factors. In addition, cancers occurring in the same organ site can be very heterogeneous in their aetiology, molecular features, response to therapies and clinical outcomes.  

The Molecular Epidemiology Team uses a multi-disciplinary research approach to identify biomarkers of cancer risk in combination with questionnaire-based information collected in large epidemiological studies of breast and bladder cancer. Data resources include the Breakthrough Generations Study, a national epidemiological cohort study of the causes of cancer, involving over 110,000 women in the UK, case-control studies and clinical trials. 

In addition, the team is closely involved in large-scale projects as part of international collaborations. Specific areas of interest include:

• Identification of subtype-specific causes of cancer through molecular characterization of tumours.
• Identification of DNA-based biomarkers of risk, including genetic and epigenetic changes in genomic white blood cell DNA.
• Incorporation of biomarkers and exposures into risk prediction models for specific tumour subtypes and evaluation of the utility of risk stratification in targeted screening and risk reduction strategies.

The ultimate goal of this research is to provide insights into biological mechanisms of carcinogenesis and improve risk assessment tools that could facilitate the development of targeted screening and prevention strategies.

Professor Montserrat Garcia-Closas is also affiliated with the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre.

Professor Montserrat Garcia-Closas investigates causes of breast and bladder cancers through the use of exposure assessment and biomarkers in large epidemiological studies. She is Leader of the Molecular Epidemiology Team within the Division of Genetics and Epidemiology at The Institute of Cancer Research. The Team’s ultimate goal is to provide insights into biological mechanisms of carcinogenesis and improve risk assessment tools that could facilitate the development of targeted screening and prevention strategies.

Professor Montserrat Garcia-Closas received her Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree from the University of Barcelona (Spain) in 1990, a Master in Public Health (M.P.H.) in quantitative methods, and a Doctorate of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston (USA) in 1993 and 1996 respectively. She joined the Division of Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology (DCEG) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI, USA) in 1996 as a post-doctoral fellow. She became a Tenure-Track Investigator in 1999 and a Tenured Senior Investigator in 2007. From 2008-2010, Professor Garcia-Closas was a Visiting Scientist at the Department of Oncology and Strangeways Laboratory, Cambridge University, UK. While at the National Cancer Institute,

Professor Garcia-Closas developed a multidisciplinary research program on the molecular epidemiology of breast and bladder cancers,and made important contributions to the understanding of genetic susceptibility and etiologic heterogeneity. In 2010, Professor Garcia-Closas became a Professor of Epidemiology and started her research team at the ICR.
Professor Garcia-Closas has received several awards including two National Institutes of Health (NIH) Awards of Merit in 2001 and 2008, an NCI Intramural Research Award in 2004, and an NCI Mentor of Merit Award in 2007.  She has also served in numerous expert committees including the Steering Committee of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Molecular Epidemiology Working Group (MEG), AACR Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Awards Committee in 2009-11, the Scientific Review Committee for the 2010 Landon Foundation-AACR Innovator Award for Cancer Prevention Research and the 2011 AACR Annual Meeting Education Committee. She is Senior Editor for the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. In 2006-2008, Professor Garcia-Closas was elected and served as the Women Scientist Advisor for her Division at NCI. She is a founder member of several large consortia, and served as the Chair of the Coordinating Committee for the International Consortium of Case-Control Studies of Bladder Cancer from 2005-2011.