Jian-Min Yuan, MD, PhD

Dr. Yuan’s research focuses on the etiologic and protective roles of environmental exposures and genetic factors, and their interaction in the development of cancers. He is Principal Investigator (PI) of both the Shanghai Cohort Study and the Singapore Chinese Health Study ─ two population-based prospective cohort studies of more than 80,000 middle-aged men and women with available biospecimens collected at baseline and under surveillance for more than 25 years. He is also the current PI of the Pittsburgh Lung Screening Study that has collected repeated annual blood samples and biannual low-dose CT scans on a cohort of 3600 smokers at high risk for lung cancer.  The ultimate goal of Dr. Yuan’s research is to discover and validate biomarkers that can characterize individuals at high risk for cancer and early detection of cancer, and to identify natural agents for primary cancer prevention.  Dr. Yuan is passionate about teaching and training on graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. He is the Director of the Translational Research Training in Cancer Etiology and Prevention Program, a multi-disciplinary cross-college training program at University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the Department of Epidemiology, and is PI  of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded T32 training grant.

1983 | Fudan University Shanghai Medical College | MD, Medicine
1986 | Fudan University School of Public Health | MPH, Public Health/Epidemiology
1996 | University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine | PhD, Epidemiology

• Environmental exposure and gene-environmental interaction in the etiology of cancer
• Biomarkers for cancer risk assessment and early detection
• Chemopreventive effect of dietary agents for primary prevention of cancer 

Principal Investigator

09/01/2021-08/31/2026
NIH/NCI
R01CA255809 (Behari and Yuan)
Novel determinants for progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma and other health outcomes

Role: Contact PI

06/14/2017-05/31/2023
NIH/NCI
R01CA213123
Randomized Clinical Trial of Lung Cancer Chemoprevention with Sulforaphane in Former Smokers

Role: PI

08/05/2014-07/31/2024
NIH/NCI
T32 CA186873
Research Training in Cancer Etiology and Prevention

Role: PI 

Co-Principal Investigator/Sub-contract PI/Program Leader

1.      Luu HN, Behari J, Goh GB, Wang R, Jin A, Thomas CE, Clemente JC, Odegaard AO, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. Composite Score of Healthy Lifestyle Factors and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 30:380-387, 2021.  PMC7867589.

2.      Luu HN, Neelakantan N, Geng TT, Wang R, Goh GB, Clemente JC, Jin A, van Dam RM, Jia W, Behari J, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. Quality diet indexes and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Int J Cancer 148:2102-2114, 2021.

3.      Thomas CE, Luu HN, Wang R, Adams-Haduch J, Jin A, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. Association between Dietary Tomato Intake and the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Singapore Chinese Health Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 29:1430-1435, 2020.  PMC7685773.

4.      Thomas CE, Luu HN, Wang R, Xie G, Adams-Haduch J, Jin A, Koh WP, Jia W, Behari J, Yuan J-M. Association between Pre-Diagnostic Serum Bile Acids and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Singapore Chinese Health Study. Cancers (Basel) 13, 2021.  PMC8198655.

5.      Thomas CE, Diergaarde B, Kuipers AL, Adibi JJ, Luu HN, Chang X, Dorajoo R, Heng CK, Khor CC, Wang R, Jin A, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. NAFLD polygenic risk score and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in an East Asian population. Hepatol Commun, 2022.

6.      Wang Z, Budhu AS, Shen Y, Wong LL, Hernandez BY, Tiirikainen M, Ma X, Irwin ML, Lu L, Zhao H, Lim JK, Taddei T, Mishra L, Pawlish K, Stroup A, Brown R, Nguyen MH, Koshiol J, Hernandez MO, Forgues M, Yang HI, Lee MH, Huang YH, Iwasaki M, Goto A, Suzuki S, Matsuda K, Tanikawa C, Kamatani Y, Mann D, Guarnera M, Shetty K, Thomas CE, Yuan J-M, Khor CC, Koh WP, Risch H, Wang XW, Yu H. Genetic susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma in chromosome 22q13.31, findings of a genome-wide association study. JGH Open 5:1363-1372, 2021.  PMC8674550.

7.      Yu YC, Luu HN, Wang R, Thomas CE, Glynn NW, Youk AO, Behari J, Yuan J-M. Serum Biomarkers of Iron Status and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 31:230-235, 2022.

8.      Yuan J-M, Wang Y, Wang R, Luu HN, Adams-Haduch J, Koh WP, Gao YT, Behari J, Lotze MT. Serum IL27 in Relation to Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Two Nested Case-Control Studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 30:388-395, 2021.  PMC7867592.

9.      Bassig BA, Shu XO, Sjodin A, Koh WP, Gao YT, Adams-Haduch J, Davis M, Wang R, Xiang YB, Engel LS, Purdue MP, Ji BT, Yang G, Jones RS, Langseth H, Hosgood HD, Grimsrud TK, Seow WJ, Wong JYY, Hu W, Chen D, Zheng W, Yuan J-M, Lan Q, Rothman N. Prediagnostic blood levels of organochlorines and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in three prospective cohorts in China and Singapore. Int J Cancer 146:839-849, 2020.  PMC8244652.

10.   Chen Y, Hu N, Liao L, Yu K, Shu XO, Zheng W, Yuan J-M, Koh WP, Qiao YL, Fan JH, Dawsey SM, Freedman ND, Taylor PR, Goldstein AM, Abnet CC. ABO genotypes and the risk of esophageal and gastric cancers. BMC Cancer 21:589, 2021.  PMC8141232.

11.   Fahrmann JF, Katayama H, Irajizad E, Chakraborty A, Kato T, Mao X, Park S, Murage E, Rusling L, Yu CY, Cai Y, Hsiao FC, Dennison JB, Tran H, Ostrin E, Wilson DO, Yuan J-M, Vykoukal J, Hanash S. Plasma Based Protein Signatures Associated with Small Cell Lung Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 13, 2021.  PMC8391533.

12.   Ho PJ, Ho WK, Khng AJ, Yeoh YS, Tan BK, Tan EY, Lim GH, Tan SM, Tan VKM, Yip CH, Mohd-Taib NA, Wong FY, Lim EH, Ngeow J, Chay WY, Leong LCH, Yong WS, Seah CM, Tang SW, Ng CWQ, Yan Z, Lee JA, Rahmat K, Islam T, Hassan T, Tai MC, Khor CC, Yuan J-M, Koh WP, Sim X, Dunning AM, Bolla MK, Antoniou AC, Teo SH, Li J, Hartman M. Overlap of high-risk individuals predicted by family history, and genetic and non-genetic breast cancer risk prediction models: implications for risk stratification. BMC Med 20:150, 2022.  PMC9040206.

13.   Ho WK, Tai MC, Dennis J, Shu X, Li J, Ho PJ, Millwood IY, Lin K, Jee YH, Lee SH, Mavaddat N, Bolla MK, Wang Q, Michailidou K, Long J, Wijaya EA, Hassan T, Rahmat K, Tan VKM, Tan BKT, Tan SM, Tan EY, Lim SH, Gao YT, Zheng Y, Kang D, Choi JY, Han W, Lee HB, Kubo M, Okada Y, Namba S, BioBank Japan P, Park SK, Kim SW, Shen CY, Wu PE, Park B, Muir KR, Lophatananon A, Wu AH, Tseng CC, Matsuo K, Ito H, Kwong A, Chan TL, John EM, Kurian AW, Iwasaki M, Yamaji T, Kweon SS, Aronson KJ, Murphy RA, Koh WP, Khor CC, Yuan J-M, Dorajoo R, Walters RG, Chen Z, Li L, Lv J, Jung KJ, Kraft P, Pharoah PDB, Dunning AM, Simard J, Shu XO, Yip CH, Taib NAM, Antoniou AC, Zheng W, Hartman M, Easton DF, Teo SH. Polygenic risk scores for prediction of breast cancer risk in Asian populations. Genet Med 24:586-600, 2022.  PMC7612481.

14.   Huang JY, Larose TL, Luu HN, Wang R, Fanidi A, Alcala K, Stevens VL, Weinstein SJ, Albanes D, Caporaso NE, Purdue MP, Ziegler RG, Freedman ND, Lan Q, Prentice RL, Pettinger M, Thomson CA, Cai Q, Wu J, Blot WJ, Shu XO, Zheng W, Arslan AA, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Le Marchand L, Wilkens LR, Haiman CA, Zhang X, Stampfer MJ, Han J, Giles GG, Hodge AM, Severi G, Johansson M, Grankvist K, Langhammer A, Hveem K, Xiang YB, Li HL, Gao YT, Visvanathan K, Ueland PM, Midttun O, Ulvi A, Buring JE, Lee IM, Sesso HD, Gaziano JM, Manjer J, Relton C, Koh WP, Brennan P, Johansson M, Yuan J-M. Circulating markers of cellular immune activation in prediagnostic blood sample and lung cancer risk in the Lung Cancer Cohort Consortium (LC3). Int J Cancer 146:2394-2405, 2020.  PMC6960354.

15.   Huang JY, Luu HN, Butler LM, Midttun O, Ulvik A, Wang R, Jin A, Gao YT, Tan Y, Ueland PM, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. A prospective evaluation of serum methionine-related metabolites in relation to pancreatic cancer risk in two prospective cohort studies. Int J Cancer 147:1917-1927, 2020.

16.   Jin K, Hung RJ, Thomas S, Le Marchand L, Matsuo K, Seow A, Shen H, Kok WP, Yuan J-M, Wu M, Li L, Zhao JK, Zhang ZF. Hormonal factors in association with lung cancer among Asian women: A pooled analysis from the International Lung Cancer Consortium. Int J Cancer 148:2241-2254, 2021.

17.   Lee S, Jang J, Abe SK, Rahman S, Saito E, Islam R, Gupta PC, Sawada N, Tamakoshi A, Shu XO, Koh WP, Sadakane A, Tsuji I, Kim J, Oze I, Nagata C, You SL, Shin MH, Pednekar MS, Tsugane S, Cai H, Yuan J-M, Wen W, Ozasa K, Matsuyama S, Kanemura S, Shin A, Ito H, Wada K, Sugawara Y, Chen CJ, Ahn YO, Chen Y, Ahsan H, Boffetta P, Chia KS, Matsuo K, Qiao YL, Rothman N, Zheng W, Inoue M, Kang D, Park SK. Association between body mass index and oesophageal cancer mortality: a pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies with >800 000 individuals in the Asia Cohort Consortium. Int J Epidemiol, 2022.

18.   Lei M, Adambekov S, Edwards RP, Wang R, Yuan J-M, Kalix E, Lopa S, Linkov F. Endometrial cancer risk factors in Singapore Chinese: a prospective cohort study. Ann Epidemiol 71:9-14, 2022.

19.   Lin JH, Wen CP, Jiang CQ, Yuan J-M, Chen CJ, Ho SY, Gao W, Zhang W, Wang R, Chien YC, Xu L, Wu X, Jin YL, Koh WP, Hsu WL, Zhu F, Wen C, Zhu T, Lee JH, Mai ZM, Lung ML, Lam TH. Smoking and nasopharyngeal cancer: individual data meta-analysis of six prospective studies on 334 935 men. Int J Epidemiol 50:975-986, 2021.  PMC8271191.

20.   Luu HN, Paragomi P, Jin A, Wang R, Neelakantan N, van Dam RM, Brand RE, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. Quality Diet Index and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 30:2068-2078, 2021.  PMC8568638.

21.   Luu HN, Wang R, Jin A, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. The association between dietary vitamin B12 and lung cancer risk: findings from a prospective cohort study. Eur J Cancer Prev 30:275-281, 2021.  PMC8012225.

22.   Luu HN, Paragomi P, Wang R, Huang JY, Adams-Haduch J, Midttun O, Ulvik A, Nguyen TC, Brand RE, Gao Y, Ueland PM, Yuan J-M. The Association between Serum Serine and Glycine and Related-Metabolites with Pancreatic Cancer in a Prospective Cohort Study. Cancers (Basel) 14, 2022.  PMC9105477.

23.   Luu HN, Paragomi P, Wang R, Jin A, Brand RE, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. Composite Score of Healthy Lifestyle Factors and the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in a Prospective Cohort Study. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 15:29-36, 2022.  PMC8741646.

24.   Oh CC, Jin AZ, Yuan J-M, Koh WP. Fish intake and risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer in a Chinese population: the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Clin Exp Dermatol 45:461-463, 2020.

25.   Samavat H, Luu HN, Beckman KB, Jin A, Wang R, Koh WP, Yuan J-M. Leukocyte telomere length, cancer incidence and all-cause mortality among Chinese adults: Singapore Chinese Health Study. Int J Cancer 148:352-362, 2021.

26.   Seow WJ, Koh WP, Jin A, Wang R, Yuan J-M. Associations between tea and coffee beverage consumption and the risk of lung cancer in the Singaporean Chinese population. Eur J Nutr 59:3083-3091, 2020.

27.   Shin A, Cho S, Jang D, Abe SK, Saito E, Rahman MS, Islam MR, Sawada N, Shu XO, Koh WP, Sadakane A, Tsuji I, Sugawara Y, Ito H, Nagata C, Park SK, Yuan J-M, Kim J, Tsugane S, Cai H, Wen W, Ozasa K, Matsuyama S, Kanemura S, Oze I, Wada K, Wang R, Yoo KY, Potter JD, Ahsan H, Boffetta P, Chia KS, Matsuo K, Qiao YL, Rothman N, Zheng W, Inoue M, Kang D. Body Mass Index and Thyroid Cancer Risk: A Pooled Analysis of Half a Million Men and Women in the Asia Cohort Consortium. Thyroid 32:306-314, 2022.  PMC8971972.

28.   Shin S, Lee JE, Loftfield E, Shu XO, Abe SK, Rahman MS, Saito E, Islam MR, Tsugane S, Sawada N, Tsuji I, Kanemura S, Sugawara Y, Tomata Y, Sadakane A, Ozasa K, Oze I, Ito H, Shin MH, Ahn YO, Park SK, Shin A, Xiang YB, Cai H, Koh WP, Yuan J-M, Yoo KY, Chia KS, Boffetta P, Ahsan H, Zheng W, Inoue M, Kang D, Potter JD, Matsuo K, Qiao YL, Rothman N, Sinha R. Coffee and tea consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer: a pooled analysis of prospective studies from the Asia Cohort Consortium. Int J Epidemiol 51:626-640, 2022.

29.   Sun R, Xu M, Li X, Gaynor S, Zhou H, Li Z, Bosse Y, Lam S, Tsao MS, Tardon A, Chen C, Doherty J, Goodman G, Bojesen SE, Landi MT, Johansson M, Field JK, Bickeboller H, Wichmann HE, Risch A, Rennert G, Arnold S, Wu X, Melander O, Brunnstrom H, Le Marchand L, Liu G, Andrew A, Duell E, Kiemeney LA, Shen H, Haugen A, Johansson M, Grankvist K, Caporaso N, Woll P, Dawn Teare M, Scelo G, Hong YC, Yuan J-M, Lazarus P, Schabath MB, Aldrich MC, Albanes D, Mak R, Barbie D, Brennan P, Hung RJ, Amos CI, Christiani DC, Lin X. Integration of multiomic annotation data to prioritize and characterize inflammation and immune-related risk variants in squamous cell lung cancer. Genet Epidemiol 45:99-114, 2021.  PMC7855632.

30.   Thomas CE, Wang R, Adams-Haduch J, Murphy SE, Ueland PM, Midttun O, Brennan P, Johansson M, Gao YT, Yuan J-M. Urinary Cotinine Is as Good a Biomarker as Serum Cotinine for Cigarette Smoking Exposure and Lung Cancer Risk Prediction. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 29:127-132, 2020.  PMC7695222.

31.   Townsend MK, Trabert B, Fortner RT, Arslan AA, Buring JE, Carter BD, Giles GG, Irvin SR, Jones ME, Kaaks R, Kirsh VA, Knutsen SF, Koh WP, Lacey JV, Langseth H, Larsson SC, Lee IM, Martinez ME, Merritt MA, Milne RL, O'Brien KM, Orlich MJ, Palmer JR, Patel AV, Peters U, Poynter JN, Robien K, Rohan TE, Rosenberg L, Sandin S, Sandler DP, Schouten LJ, Setiawan VW, Swerdlow AJ, Ursin G, van den Brandt PA, Visvanathan K, Weiderpass E, Wolk A, Yuan J-M, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Tworoger SS, Wentzensen N. Cohort Profile: The Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium (OC3). Int J Epidemiol, 2021.

32.   Wang Y, Jafar TH, Jin A, Yuan J-M, Koh WP. Dietary Intakes of Trace Elements and the Risk of Kidney Cancer: The Singapore Chinese Health Study. Nutr Cancer 73:239-245, 2021.  PMC7529837.

33.   Yu YC, Paragomi P, Wang R, Jin A, Schoen RE, Sheng LT, Pan A, Koh WP, Yuan J-M, Luu HN. Composite dietary antioxidant index and the risk of colorectal cancer: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Int J Cancer 150:1599-1608, 2022.  PMC8930521.

34.   Zahed H, Johansson M, Ueland PM, Midttun O, Milne RL, Giles GG, Manjer J, Sandsveden M, Langhammer A, Sorgjerd EP, Grankvist K, Johansson M, Freedman ND, Huang WY, Chen C, Prentice R, Stevens VL, Wang Y, Le Marchand L, Wilkens LR, Weinstein SJ, Albanes D, Cai Q, Blot WJ, Arslan AA, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Shu XO, Zheng W, Yuan J-M, Koh WP, Visvanathan K, Sesso HD, Zhang X, Gaziano JM, Fanidi A, Muller D, Brennan P, Guida F, Robbins HA. Epidemiology of 40 blood biomarkers of one-carbon metabolism, vitamin status, inflammation, and renal and endothelial function among cancer-free older adults. Sci Rep 11:13805, 2021.  PMC8257595.

35.   Zhu J, Smith-Warner SA, Yu D, Zhang X, Blot WJ, Xiang YB, Sinha R, Park Y, Tsugane S, White E, Koh WP, Park SK, Sawada N, Kanemura S, Sugawara Y, Tsuji I, Robien K, Tomata Y, Yoo KY, Kim J, Yuan J-M, Gao YT, Rothman N, Lazovich D, Abe SK, Rahman MS, Loftfield E, Takata Y, Li X, Lee JE, Saito E, Freedman ND, Inoue M, Lan Q, Willett WC, Zheng W, Shu XO. Associations of coffee and tea consumption with lung cancer risk. Int J Cancer, 2020.  PMC8460087.