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Robert Cooney, PhD Associate Professor, Epidemiology & Environmental Sciences 1960 East West Road, Biomed D104K Honolulu, HI 96822 email: rvcooney@hawaii.edu phone: (808) 956-5775 fax: (808) 956-5818

Academic Degrees
PhD (Chemistry) University of California at San Diego
BA (Chemistry) Washington University in St. Louis

Research Interests & Grants
Dr. Cooney's area of interest is on the role of diet and lipid-soluble antioxidants in the prevention of chronic diseases of aging and survival. His current research is focused on the epidemiology and molecular mechanisms of action for lipid micronutrients such as Vitamin D, tocopherols, coenzyme Q10, and carotenoids. His past research has been instrumental in identifying the molecular mechanism of action for γ-tocopherol in preventing nitrogen oxide-mediated DNA damage and unique associations between γ-tocopherol and other lipid micronutrients in humans. Recent studies have focused on the relation of these micronutrient levels with inflammation and survival in human populations.

2007-2010 NIH/NCI RO3 CA132149 Interactions of coenzyme Q10 with plasma tocopherols and their role in breast cancer prevention. (B. Cooney)

2007-2010 NIH/NCI R03 CA130061 Inflammatory Markers in a 2-Year Soy Intervention among Pre-menopausal Women (G. Makarinec)

Courses Taught
PH 792E Supplemental & Nutritional Approaches in Disease Prevention & Treatment
PH 681 Environmental Determinants of Human Health

Selected Publications
Cooney RV, Dai Q, Gao YT, Chow WH, Franke AA, Shu XO, Li H, Ji B, Cai Q, Chai W, Zheng W. Low plasma coenzyme Q10 levels and breast cancer risk in Chinese women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 20:1124-1130, 2011.

Chai W, Cooney RV, Franke AA, Shvetsov YB, Caberto CP, Wilkens LR, Le Marchand L, Henderson BE, Kolonel LN, Goodman MT. Plasma coenzyme Q10 levels and postmenopausal breast cancer risk: the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 19:2351-6, 2010.

Chai W, Conroy SM, Maskarinec G, Franke AA, Pagano IS, Cooney RV. Associations between obesity and serum lipid soluble micronutrients among premenopausal women. Nutrition Research, 30:227-32, 2010.

Franke AA, Morrison CM, Bakke JL, Custer LJ, Li X, Cooney RV. Coenzyme Q10 in human blood: native levels and determinants for oxidation during processing and storage. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 48:1610-7, 2010.

Epplein, M, Franke AA, Cooney RV, Morris JS, Wilkens LR, Goodman MT Murphy SP Henderson BE Kolonel LN, LeMarchand L. Association of plasma micronutrient levels and urinary isoprostane with risk of lung cancer: The Multiethnic Cohort Study. Cancer Epid Biomarkers and Prev, 18:1962-70, 2009.

Cooney RV, Franke AA, Wilkens LR, Gill J, Kolonel LN. Elevated plasma γ-tocopherol and decreased α-tocopherol in men are associated with inflammatory markers and decreased plasma 25-OH vitamin D. Nutrition and Cancer, 60(S1):21-29, 2008.

Tanaka Y, Lesoon Wood LA. and Cooney RV Enhancement of intracellular γ-tocopherol levels in cytokine-stimulated C3H 10T1/2 fibroblasts: Relation to NO synthesis, isoprostane formation, and tocopherol oxidation. BMC Chemical Biology, 7:2-1, 2007.

Burnett, T., Pung, A., Bertram and Cooney, R.V. The role of nitric oxide in neoplastic transformation of C3H 10T1/2 embryonic fibroblasts. Carcinogenesis, 21:1989-1995, 2000.

Cooney, R.V., Franke, A.A., Harwood, P.J., Hatch-Pigott, V., Custer, L., and Mordan, L.J. Gamma-tocopherol detoxification of nitrogen dioxide: Superiority to alpha-tocopherol. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 90:1771-1775, 1993.