Neal Freedman

NCI, DCEG, NEB

PLCO (Learn more about this study)

2010-0051

Apr 29, 2010

A genome wide association study of alcohol intake

Alcoholic beverages are commonly consumed throughout the world. An addictive drug, alcohol can induce a mood of euphoria, but also has important public health consequences, including alcohol dependence (alcoholism). Alcohol intake is also a well established cause of cancer. Few effective treatments for alcohol dependence exist. Though data from twin studies suggest an important role for genetic variation with both alcohol intake and alcohol dependence, the particular variants involved remain to be identified. The proposed study aims to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are associated with alcohol intake by performing a genome wide association study (GWAS). We plan to use controls and cases which have already been genotyped as part of GWAS at the NCI Core Genotyping Facility (CGF). Our primary outcome will be recent total alcohol intake (grams per day) by genotype. We have already received approval to access the PLCO GWAS data. With this PAF, we request data on alcohol use and covariates. Since our proposed study included more than 17,000 individuals with GWAS information, it will have excellent power to detect even modest associations and the potential to make a significant contribution towards our understanding of the genetics of alcohol consumption. The PLCO trial with more than 6500 participants with available GWAS information and carefully collected information on alcohol intake would play very valuable role in this collaborative project.