Harnessing Advanced Genomic and Bioinformatics Technologies for in-depth Molecular Characterization of Lung Adenocarcinoma in KY

Appalachian Kentucky has the highest incidence rate of lung cancer in the United States. The disproportionately high incidence is not explained by tobacco alone, and it is thought that genetic predisposition may play a key role in this disparity. We propose a whole-exome sequencing approach using matched lung adenocarcinoma and normal tissues collected from patients in Appalachian Kentucky. We expect to identify unique somatic mutation patterns that contribute to the high lung cancer incidence rate in this population. The novel bioinformatics methods develop in the study will also have significant contributions to the analysis of whole-exome sequencing data. Our findings will stimulate new research directions in cancer biology and potentially suggest new therapeutic targets for lung adenocarcinoma treatment. 8