PhD Recipient: Xiaowen Liu, PhD student, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CEB), Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
Supervisors: A/Prof Shuai Li, Dr Tuong Linh (Kevin) Nguyen, Dr Zhoufeng Ye.
Funding: $10,000 in GERA’s PhD Top Up Scholarship Round 2 (2026)
About the project: This project investigates how genetic and environmental factors shape lifetime endogenous oestrogen exposure, a key determinant of the risk of breast cancer and other hormone-dependent cancers. Using the Australian Mammographic Density Twins and Sisters Study, which includes female twin pairs and their sisters without prior breast cancer, Ms Liu will analyse two composite indices: breast tissue age (BTA) and the lifetime endogenous oestrogen exposure measure (LEOEM). Pedigree-based multivariate models implemented in FISHER, alongside classical twin models, will be used to estimate familial correlations, partition variance into genetic and shared environmental components, and assess whether shared environmental influences differ by zygosity. Age-specific modelling will characterise how these influences change across the life course. The findings will provide new insights into the determinants of cumulative endogenous oestrogen exposure and inform future research on modifiable risk factors and prevention strategies for hormone-dependent cancers, while providing the candidate with advanced training in genetic epidemiology, twin modelling and quantitative genetics.
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