Our Faculty

Brandon L. Pierce, PhD

Professor of Public Health Sciences
Research and Scholarly Interests: Aging, Arsenic, Cancer, Epigenetics, gene regulation, Gene-Environment Interaction, Genetic Epidemiology, Telomeres
Websites: Pierce Lab, Research Network Profile
Contact: bpierce@health.bsd.uchicago.edu
Graduate Programs: Public Health Sciences, Committee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology, Human Genetics, UChicago Biosciences

Our group works at the intersection of genetic, molecular, and environmental epidemiology. We are interested in how genetic variation influences or alters the effects of environmental exposures and biomarkers on human health and biology. Areas of ongoing research include (1) dynamic features of the genome that are biomarkers of aging, exposure, and disease risk, (2) genetic susceptibility and response to exposure to arsenic, a known carcinogen (3) methods for assessing causal relationships among risk factors, biomarkers, and disease phenotypes, and (4) genetic contributors to prostate cancer disparities. The long-term goals of our work are to understand toxicity mechanisms and disease biology and to improve our ability to predict disease and target interventions to high-risk sub-populations.

Several ongoing projects are described below:

• Arsenic and the Human Genome: Over 100 million people worldwide consume arsenic-contaminated drinking water, which increases risk for a wide array of health conditions, including cancer. The goal of this project is to identify features of the human genome, both inherited (i.e., SNPs) and acquired/dynamic (i.e., telomere length, DNA methylation, somatic mutations), that reflect susceptibility to arsenic toxicity or response to arsenic exposure, using data from a large arsenic-exposed cohorts in Bangladesh and the U.S. Achieving these goals will reveal biological mechanisms of toxicity and susceptibility and provide strategies for identifying high risk individuals.

• Telomere Length and and DNA methylation in Diverse Human Tissue Types: Age-related telomere shortening may play a critical role in susceptibility to common age-related diseases, including cancer. Using tissue samples from the NHGRI’s Gene-Tissue Expression project (GTEx), Dr. Pierce’s team characterizing determinants of telomere length measurements taken across many cancer-prone tissues. Dr. Pierce's team is also studying DNA methylation features in these diverse tissue types, characterizing the effects of exposures, aging, and inherited genetic variants.

• Identifying DNA Methylation Features That Underlie Prostate Cancer Disparities: In light of racial disparities in prostate cancer incidence and mortality in the U.S., Dr. Pierce is leading a project to determine if DNA methylation patterns in prostate tissue differ between African American and Caucasian patients and how such differences are related to clinical features, as well as genetic and environmental factors. This work will contribute to the identification ethnicity-specific biomarkers for prostate cancer aggressiveness.

University of Washington
Seattle
PhD - Public Health Genetics
2008

Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis
MS - Genetic Epidemiology
2004

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis
BA - Biology
2002

Genome-wide association study of prostate-specific antigen levels in 392,522 men identifies new loci and improves cross-ancestry prediction.
Genome-wide association study of prostate-specific antigen levels in 392,522 men identifies new loci and improves cross-ancestry prediction. medRxiv. 2024 Aug 20.
PMID: 37961155

DNA methylation correlates of chronological age in diverse human tissue types.
DNA methylation correlates of chronological age in diverse human tissue types. Epigenetics Chromatin. 2024 Aug 08; 17(1):25.
PMID: 39118140

An integrative multi-context Mendelian randomization method for identifying risk genes across human tissues.
An integrative multi-context Mendelian randomization method for identifying risk genes across human tissues. Am J Hum Genet. 2024 Aug 08; 111(8):1736-1749.
PMID: 39053459

The Impact of Inherited Genetic Variation on DNA Methylation in Prostate Cancer and Benign Tissues of African American and European American Men.
The Impact of Inherited Genetic Variation on DNA Methylation in Prostate Cancer and Benign Tissues of African American and European American Men. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024 Apr 03; 33(4):557-566.
PMID: 38294689

Integrative cross-omics and cross-context analysis elucidates molecular links underlying genetic effects on complex traits.
Integrative cross-omics and cross-context analysis elucidates molecular links underlying genetic effects on complex traits. Nat Commun. 2024 Mar 16; 15(1):2383.
PMID: 38493154

The association of cigarette smoking with DNA methylation and gene expression in human tissue samples.
The association of cigarette smoking with DNA methylation and gene expression in human tissue samples. Am J Hum Genet. 2024 04 04; 111(4):636-653.
PMID: 38490207

Mapping potential pathways from polygenic liability through brain structure to psychological problems across the transition to adolescence.
Mapping potential pathways from polygenic liability through brain structure to psychological problems across the transition to adolescence. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2024 Aug; 65(8):1047-1060.
PMID: 38185921

Metabolomic Effects of Folic Acid Supplementation in Adults: Evidence from the FACT Trial.
Metabolomic Effects of Folic Acid Supplementation in Adults: Evidence from the FACT Trial. J Nutr. 2024 02; 154(2):670-679.
PMID: 38092151

View All Publications

RIVER Outstanding Investigator Award (Revolutionizing Innovative, Visionary Environmental Health)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
2017

Finalist for the Brian MacMahon Early Career Epidemiologist Award
Society for Epidemiologic Research
2015

Young Investigator Award
Cancer Research Foundation
2012

Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES) Award
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
2011