My climb toward transformative cancer research
Future Leaders Spotlight: Meet PROSPECT with Ruiyi Tian
PROSPECT is taking on our early onset challenge. Here, future leader Ruiyi Tian takes us through how the team is trying to unravel the generational shifts driving early-onset colorectal cancer, likening the challenge to her love of mountain hiking, and how the view from the top—healthier, longer lives for future generations—makes every step worthwhile.
Future Leaders are early career researchers (postdocs, PhD students, junior group leaders, assistant professors and other roles) and key members of our funded teams and global community, making significant contributions to tackling their teams' challenge.
About Ruiyi
As someone who loves mountain hiking, I’ve always viewed my life and career as an upward climb toward new horizons. My journey began at UCLA, where I studied Applied Mathematics, driven by a deep curiosity about using math to solve real-world problems. That curiosity led me to pursue an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at WashU, where I discovered my passion for interdisciplinary science. It was here that I realised the power of combining diverse fields to answer pressing health questions, inspiring me to take the next step: a PhD in Biomedical Informatics with a Cancer Biology Pathway.
A global problem
Today, as a researcher, I focus on early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC)—a field that brings me a profound sense of purpose. EOCRC is a growing problem, not just in the U.S., where it is projected to become the leading cause of cancer deaths in adults under 50 by 2030, but globally. The rates are rising sharply across generations, with individuals born in 1990 facing a far higher risk of colorectal cancer than those born in 1950. This is not just statistics; it’s a wake-up call for my generation and the ones to follow.
Innovation at every step
Being part of team PROSPECT to tackle the grand challenge of early-onset cancer has been both a privilege and a challenge. As part of this global effort, I work alongside world-renowned researchers and over 30 emerging leaders from diverse disciplines. Together, we aim to uncover the complex interplay of risk factors—genetics, lifestyle, microbiomes, environmental exposures, and social determinants—that drive EOCRC. What makes this work so exciting is that it demands innovation at every step: building global consortia, harmonising diverse datasets, and designing life-course models to map the timeline of cancer risk.
In my role, I focus on one of the foundational aspects of our project. This involves elucidating lifelong risk factors, identifying novel risk factors, and developing integrative risk assessment tools. To support this effort, we are constructing the PROSPECT Global Consortium, uniting data from over 10 million individuals across 7 countries and 3 continents. Already, we’ve documented 2,700 EOCRC cases spanning 90 years of birth cohorts. This effort will provide an unprecedented opportunity to unravel the generational shifts driving EOCRC.
A mountain to climb
This climb is not without its challenges. Harmonising diverse data, designing causal inference frameworks, and integrating insights from epidemiology, biology, and clinical trials require more than technical skills—it demands a collaborative, global mindset. At times, the complexity feels like scaling Mount Everest, but every step upward reveals a broader perspective. For me, the journey is as fulfilling as the destination.
Being part of PROSPECT has also reinforced the importance of leadership. As one of the emerging leaders in this project, I strive to push the boundaries of what’s possible while fostering collaboration across fields. Leadership in science isn’t just about technical expertise; it’s about vision, perseverance, and the ability to inspire others to join in tackling challenges bigger than ourselves.
Making every step worthwhile
This journey is also personal. It’s about more than research; it’s about creating a future where young adults worldwide are less burdened by cancer. It’s about finding answers to questions that remain mysteries today: Why is EOCRC rising in our younger generations? What are the drivers of these shifts? And how can we act now to turn the tide for our future?
As I climb higher, I’m grateful to be surrounded by brilliant minds and supported by the infrastructure provided by Cancer Grand Challenges.
Together, I believe we can reshape the future of cancer prevention and inspire a new generation to carry this work forward.
The climb is steep, but the view from the top—healthier, longer lives for future generations—makes every step worthwhile.
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Through Cancer Grand Challenges team PROSPECT is funded by Cancer Research UK, the National Cancer Institute, the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK and Institut National Du Cancer.