Transdisciplinary Research in Energetics and Cancer (TREC) TREC is a multi-site project funded in 2005 by the National Cancer Institute to encourage transdisciplinary research in energetics and cancer. Funding for TREC began in September 2005 and will continue for five years. TREC centers focus on two challenges in the area of energetics/energy balance and cancer:

1) to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the associations between energy balance and carcinogenesis across the cancer continuum from causation and prevention through survival

2) to develop effective innovative approaches with broad population impact at the social-environmental and policy levels for prevention of obesity with particular emphases on children and critical time periods during childhood where weight gain is likely to occur.

Four institutions successfully competed for field centers: University of Minnesota (Robert Jeffery, PI), Case Western Reserve (Nate Berger, PI), University of Southern California (Mike Goran, PI), and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Anne McTiernan, PI). The TREC Coordination Center is also located at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Mark Thornquist, PI). Linda Nebling is the project officer from NCI.

Each field center funds at least three R01s, a set of Cores (i.e. Administration, Statistics, Career Development), TREC Developmental Projects, and TREC Career Development opportunities. The current R01s across the four Field Centers vary widely in their focus and scope. To facilitate transdisciplinary collaborations, there are also a number of working groups that share information and potentially data and specimens across sites.

Contact Information

For more information on the TREC initiative, please see: http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/TREC/.

For more information on the Minnesota TREC center, please contact:
Kerrin Brelje, Project Coordinator
Robert Jeffery, Director (Jeffery@epi.umn.edu)
Leslie Lytle, Co-director (Lytle@epi.umn.edu)

Reference on Transdisciplinary Science

Stokols, D et al, Evaluating transdisciplinary science. Nicotine and Tobacco Research (December 2003), Volume 5, Supplement 1: S 21-S39.

Women in Steady Exercise Research Study (WISER)

The WISER (Women in Steady Exercise Research) study is part of the University of Minnesota Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) Center. The purpose of the WISER study is to determine the mechanisms by which exercise lowers breast cancer risk. Over a four year period, 400 premenopausal women will be randomized into either a control group or an exercise group for four menstrual cycles. The exercise group will perform 30 min/day weight bearing aerobic exercise (i.e. treadmill) increasing from 65% — 85% maximal heart rate during the study. Blood and urine will be collected for measurement of intermediary biomarkers of breast cancer including reproductive hormones, IGF axis proteins, and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. An ancillary project is the development of methods for collection and analysis of nipple aspirate fluid. We have just begun recruiting and should be able to start our first subjects by the beginning of June 2006. We are definitely open to collaborations! Contact Dr. Mindy Kurzer for more information: mkurzer@umn.edu.