Research into prostate cancer receives a major boost today (24th
January) as The Prostate Cancer Charity announces its largest
research investment into the disease to date.
Researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen will
lead on three of the 15 projects from across the UK to be funded by
The Prostate Cancer Charity. The Charity is investing over £2
million in an attempt to target some of the most important research
challenges facing prostate cancer, from helping to diagnose the
disease through to improving treatment options and quality of life
for men living with it.
Speaking about the landmark investment Owen Sharp, Chief
Executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, said: "Despite being the
most common cancer in men the research evidence surrounding
prostate cancer is limited. The Charity's new research portfolio
underlines our commitment to finding answers to this often complex
and confusing disease.
"Over the past three years the Charity has more than trebled its
investment in research whilst government funded research into the
disease continues to lag behind that of other common
cancers.Through our research portfolio we are proud to be working
alongside some of the UK's top scientists to balance out this
inequality and tackle some of the critical gaps in knowledge
surrounding the disease to ensure men and their families get the
answers they need."
In addition to pumping over £360,000 into two projects at the
University of Glasgow and one at the University of Aberdeen The
Prostate Cancer Charity is funding research at - amongst other
institutions - Cambridge University, Imperial College London, Kings
College London and the Institute of Cancer Research.
Professor Iain McEwan from the University of Aberdeen has
received £81,634 for a 3 year PhD study to identify new drugs for
the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. He said: "Men with
advanced prostate cancer have limited treatment options, further
hampered by prostate cancer's ability to develop resistance to
standard treatments. There is a clear need to invest in research to
focus on new ways to control and treat advanced prostate cancer,
and this funding from The Prostate Cancer Charity will allow us to
focus our attention on testing a new approach for developing drugs
to block the activity of a protein called the androgen
receptor."
Dr Joanna Edwards from the University of Glasgow's Beatson
Institute has received £130,220 for a 2 year study into what makes
men with prostate cancer stop responding to therapy. She said:
"This funding is a fantastic boost and will hopefully further our
understanding of why prostate cancer therapy begins to fail, at
which point the disease progresses more quickly and survival is
reduced. If we can establish the cause of treatment failure, and
identify novel proteins within prostate cancer cells, we will be
better placed to develop new drugs to act against the disease."
Professor Hing Leung from the Beatson Institute for Cancer
Research, University of Glasgow and NHS Greater Glasgow and
Clyde has received £150,812 for a 3 year project to identify how
certain molecules promote the growth of prostate cancer. He said:
"This project will use human prostate cancer samples to study the
activity of the molecules Sprouty2 and PI3/AKT in prostate cancer.
The aim is to develop targeted and individual treatment plans for
men using these two molecules by understanding how they work
together to drive aggressive prostate cancer, and their role in
cancer developing resistance to standard treatments. Better
understanding of lethal prostate cancer, particularly in
relationship to cancer spread and drug-resistance, is key to future
development of effective drugs aimed at improving patient
outcome."
The fifteen grants were awarded via a competitive process of
peer review and chosen on the basis of their extremely high quality
and relevance to men with prostate cancer.
The Prostate Cancer Charity has a strong history of supporting
the delivery of world class research and has invested over £12
million to date.