Research Summary

I became a UCSF faculty member in Epidemiology and Biostatistics in 1985 and joined the Department of Neurological Surgery in 2004. I am PI/co-PI of one of the first large-scale population based epidemiologic studies of adult glioma which I began in 1991.  This was funded continuously through 2016 by an NCI R01 and from 2002-2018 by a project in the UCSF Brain Tumor SPORE.  These two funding sources created the ongoing Adult Glioma Study created which is a large, unique data and specimen resource for etiologic and outcome studies of adult glioma. In 2009, we completed one of the first genome-wide association studies of adult glioma in which we identified several glioma risk loci. In 2012, we discovered a glioma risk allele that confers a six-fold risk of oligodendroglial tumors and IDH mutated astrocytomas. In 2015, we published another study in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic that defined five glioma molecular groups based on 1p/19q co-deletion, IDH mutation, and mutations in the TERT promoter that appear to have distinct mechanisms of pathogenesis and that account for over 95% of grade II-IV gliomas.

We currently are in the process of conducting large-scale longitudinal studies of immune profiles in both high and lower grade gliomas with funding from NCI and the loglio collective. In addition, I have been a co-investigator for other multi-site studies of glioma risk and of familial glioma risk, genetic epidemiology of lung cancer, and breast cancer epidemiology. I am a leader in the brain tumor epidemiology research community having served as US Co-President of the Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium. I received the Society of Neuro-oncology Lifetime Achievment award in 2016. My service to the NIH includes participation in numerous review panels over my 30+year career, including having served as a member on the EPIC-CASE study section.

Research Funding

  • September 20, 2002 - August 31, 2023 - Brain Tumor SPORE Grant , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA097257
  • May 15, 1991 - March 31, 2017 - Genetic and molecular epidemiology of adult glioma , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA052689
  • December 1, 1992 - November 30, 1997 - ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AND ADULT MALIGNANT GLIOMA , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01ES006285
  • September 30, 1992 - September 29, 1995 - HA-RAS RARE ALLELES IN MALIGNANT GLIOMA , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R03CA057220

Education

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, B.Sc., 1971, Genetics
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, M.Sc., 1973, Population Genetics
University of California, Berkeley, CA, M.P.H., 1977, Epidemiology
University of California, Berkeley, CA, Ph.D., 1983, Epidemiology

Honors & Awards

  • 2016 Society of Neuro-oncology Lifetime Achievement Award

Selected Publications

  1. Cannataro VL, Bracci PM, Taylor JW, McCoy L, Rice T, Hansen HM, Heffernan AE, Wiemels J, Wiencke J, Wrensch M, Claus EB. Glioma mutational signatures associated with haloalkane exposure are enriched in firefighters. Cancer. 2025 Mar 15; 131(6):e35732.  View on PubMed
  2. Guerra G, Nakase T, Kachuri L, McCoy L, Hansen HM, Rice T, Wiemels JL, Wiencke JK, Molinaro AM, Wrensch M, Francis SS. Association of immunoglobulin E levels with glioma risk and survival. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2025 Mar 01; 117(3):545-553.  View on PubMed
  3. Kachuri L, Guerra GA, Nakase T, Wendt GA, Hansen HM, Molinaro AM, Bracci P, McCoy L, Rice T, Wiencke JK, Eckel-Passow JE, Jenkins RB, Wrensch M, Francis SS. Genetic predisposition to altered blood cell homeostasis is associated with glioma risk and survival. Nat Commun. 2025 Jan 14; 16(1):658.  View on PubMed
  4. Guerra G, Wendt G, McCoy L, Hansen HM, Kachuri L, Molinaro AM, Rice T, Guan V, Capistrano L, Hsieh A, Kalsi V, Sallee J, Taylor JW, Clarke JL, Almaraz ER, Wiencke JK, Eckel-Passow JE, Jenkins RB, Wrensch M, Francis SS. Functional germline variants in DNA damage repair pathways are associated with altered survival in adults with glioma treated with temozolomide. Neuro Oncol. 2025 Jan 02.  View on PubMed
  5. Guerra G, Wendt G, McCoy L, Hansen HM, Kachuri L, Molinaro AM, Rice T, Guan V, Capistrano L, Hsieh A, Kalsi V, Sallee J, Taylor JW, Clarke JL, Rodriguez Almaraz E, Wiencke JK, Eckel-Passow JE, Jenkins RB, Wrensch M, Francis SS. Functional germline variants in DNA damage repair pathways are associated with altered survival in adults with glioma treated with temozolomide. medRxiv. 2024 Oct 10.  View on PubMed
  6. Nakase T, Guerra GA, Ostrom QT, Ge T, Melin BS, Wrensch M, Wiencke JK, Jenkins RB, Eckel-Passow JE, Glioma International Case-Control Study (GICC), Bondy ML, Francis SS, Kachuri L. Genome-wide polygenic risk scores predict risk of glioma and molecular subtypes. Neuro Oncol. 2024 Oct 03; 26(10):1933-1944.  View on PubMed
  7. Guerra G, Nakase T, Kachuri L, McCoy L, Hansen HM, Rice T, Wiemels JL, Wiencke JK, Molinaro AM, Wrensch M, Francis SS. Association of immunoglobulin E levels with glioma risk and survival. medRxiv. 2024 Sep 23.  View on PubMed
  8. Taylor JW, Warrier G, Hansen HM, McCoy L, Rice T, Guerra G, Francis SS, Clarke JL, Bracci PM, Hadad S, Kelsey KT, Wrensch M, Molinaro AM, Wiencke JK. Oligodendroglioma patient survival is associated with circulating B-cells and age. Neurooncol Adv. 2024 Jan-Dec; 6(1):vdae143.  View on PubMed
  9. Nakase T, Guerra G, Ostrom QT, Ge T, Melin B, Wrensch M, Wiencke JK, Jenkins RB, Eckel-Passow JE, Glioma International Case-Control Study (GICC), Bondy ML, Francis SS, Kachuri L. Genome-wide Polygenic Risk Scores Predict Risk of Glioma and Molecular Subtypes. medRxiv. 2024 Jan 11.  View on PubMed
  10. Kachuri L, Guerra GA, Wendt GA, Hansen HM, Molinaro AM, Bracci P, McCoy L, Rice T, Wiencke JK, Eckel-Passow JE, Jenkins RB, Wrensch M, Francis SS. Genetic predisposition to altered blood cell homeostasis is associated with glioma risk and survival. medRxiv. 2023 Oct 16.  View on PubMed
  11. Francis SS, Guerra G, Hansen HM, Wendt G, Kachuri L, Wiencke JK, Wrensch M. Inherited polymorphisms in the Human Leukocyte Antigen Region modify the association between varicella-zoster virus antibody reactivity and glioma prognosis. Neuro Oncol. 2023 10 03; 25(10):1910-1912.  View on PubMed
  12. Lindström S, Wang L, Feng H, Majumdar A, Huo S, Macdonald J, Harrison T, Turman C, Chen H, Mancuso N, Bammler T, Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), Gallinger S, Gruber SB, Gunter MJ, Le Marchand L, Moreno V, Offit K, Colorectal Transdisciplinary Study (CORECT), Colon Cancer Family Registry Study (CCFR), Genetics And, De Vivo I, O'Mara TA, Spurdle AB, Tomlinson I, Endometrial Cancer Association Consortium (ECAC), Fitzgerald R, Gharahkhani P, Gockel I, Jankowski J, Macgregor S, Schumacher J, Barnholtz-Sloan J, Bondy ML, Houlston RS, Jenkins RB, Melin B, Wrensch M, Brennan P, Christiani DC, Johansson M, Mckay J, Aldrich MC, Amos CI, Landi MT, Tardon A, International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), Bishop DT, Demenais F, Goldstein AM, Iles MM, Kanetsky PA, Law MH, Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC), Amundadottir LT, Stolzenberg-Solomon R, Wolpin BM, Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium (Panscan), Klein A, Petersen G, Risch H, Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium (Panc4), The PRACTICAL Consortium, Chanock SJ, Purdue MP, Scelo G, Pharoah P, Kar S, Hung RJ, Pasaniuc B, Kraft P. Genome-wide analyses characterize shared heritability among cancers and identify novel cancer susceptibility regions. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2023 06 08; 115(6):712-732.  View on PubMed
  13. Guerra G, McCoy L, Hansen HM, Rice T, Molinaro AM, Wiemels JL, Wiencke JK, Wrensch M, Francis SS. Antibodies to varicella-zoster virus and three other herpesviruses and survival in adults with glioma. Neuro Oncol. 2023 06 02; 25(6):1047-1057.  View on PubMed
  14. Hervey-Jumper SL, Zhang Y, Phillips JJ, Morshed RA, Young JS, McCoy L, Lafontaine M, Luks T, Ammanuel S, Kakaizada S, Egladyous A, Gogos A, Villanueva-Meyer J, Shai A, Warrier G, Rice T, Crane J, Wrensch M, Wiencke JK, Daras M, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor JW, Butowski N, Clarke J, Chang S, Chang E, Aghi M, Theodosopoulos P, McDermott M, Jakola AS, Kavouridis VK, Nawabi N, Solheim O, Smith T, Berger MS, Molinaro AM. Interactive Effects of Molecular, Therapeutic, and Patient Factors on Outcome of Diffuse Low-Grade Glioma. J Clin Oncol. 2023 04 10; 41(11):2029-2042.  View on PubMed
  15. Tang E, Wiencke JK, Warrier G, Hansen H, McCoy L, Rice T, Bracci PM, Wrensch M, Taylor JW, Clarke JL, Koestler DC, Salas LA, Christensen BC, Kelsey KT, Molinaro AM. Evaluation of cross-platform compatibility of a DNA methylation-based glucocorticoid response biomarker. Clin Epigenetics. 2022 10 28; 14(1):136.  View on PubMed
  16. Yanchus C, Drucker KL, Kollmeyer TM, Tsai R, Winick-Ng W, Liang M, Malik A, Pawling J, De Lorenzo SB, Ali A, Decker PA, Kosel ML, Panda A, Al-Zahrani KN, Jiang L, Browning JWL, Lowden C, Geuenich M, Hernandez JJ, Gosio JT, Ahmed M, Loganathan SK, Berman J, Trcka D, Michealraj KA, Fortin J, Carson B, Hollingsworth EW, Jacinto S, Mazrooei P, Zhou L, Elia A, Lupien M, He HH, Murphy DJ, Wang L, Abyzov A, Dennis JW, Maass PG, Campbell K, Wilson MD, Lachance DH, Wrensch M, Wiencke J, Mak T, Pennacchio LA, Dickel DE, Visel A, Wrana J, Taylor MD, Zadeh G, Dirks P, Eckel-Passow JE, Attisano L, Pombo A, Ida CM, Kvon EZ, Jenkins RB, Schramek D. A noncoding single-nucleotide polymorphism at 8q24 drives IDH1-mutant glioma formation. Science. 2022 10 07; 378(6615):68-78.  View on PubMed
  17. Zhang Y, Lucas CG, Young JS, Morshed RA, McCoy L, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor JW, Daras M, Butowski NA, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Cha S, Wrensch M, Wiencke JK, Lee JC, Pekmezci M, Phillips JJ, Perry A, Bollen AW, Aghi MK, Theodosopoulos P, Chang EF, Hervey-Jumper SL, Berger MS, Clarke JL, Chang SM, Molinaro AM, Solomon DA. Prospective genomically guided identification of "early/evolving" and "undersampled" IDH-wildtype glioblastoma leads to improved clinical outcomes. Neuro Oncol. 2022 10 03; 24(10):1749-1762.  View on PubMed
  18. Wiencke JK, Molinaro AM, Warrier G, Rice T, Clarke J, Taylor JW, Wrensch M, Hansen H, McCoy L, Tang E, Tamaki SJ, Tamaki CM, Nissen E, Bracci P, Salas LA, Koestler DC, Christensen BC, Zhang Z, Kelsey KT. DNA methylation as a pharmacodynamic marker of glucocorticoid response and glioma survival. Nat Commun. 2022 09 20; 13(1):5505.  View on PubMed
  19. Bracci PM, Rice T, Hansen HM, Francis SS, Lee S, McCoy LS, Shrestha PP, Warrier G, Clarke JL, Molinaro AM, Taylor JW, Wiencke JK, Wrensch MR. Pre-surgery immune profiles of adult glioma patients. J Neurooncol. 2022 Aug; 159(1):103-115.  View on PubMed
  20. Guerra G, Kachuri L, Wendt G, Hansen HM, Mack SJ, Molinaro AM, Rice T, Bracci P, Wiencke JK, Kasahara N, Eckel-Passow JE, Jenkins RB, Wrensch M, Francis SS. The immunogenetics of viral antigen response is associated with subtype-specific glioma risk and survival. Am J Hum Genet. 2022 06 02; 109(6):1105-1116.  View on PubMed

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