Precision Medicine for a subtype of prostate cancer associated with loss of the gene CHD1

In a nutshell

The researchers will find out whether the loss of a gene involved in DNA repair can result in advanced prostate cancers that do not respond to any current therapies. They will then look for a new way to treat this particular type of aggressive prostate cancer. 

Why we funded it

In the past few years a number of new treatments have become available for men with advanced prostate cancer, including abiraterone, enzalutamide and cabazitaxel. Researchers in this lab have led on the development of these new drugs and, although they are a big step forward, there are still some prostate cancers that do not respond to any of these therapies.

The researchers have found that a DNA repair gene called CHD1 is missing in up to a quarter of prostate cancers and they want to investigate the link between this gene and the particularly aggressive cancers that don’t respond to treatment.

If it is shown that the loss of CHD1 does result in prostate cancers that cannot currently be treated then this work could lead to the development of new drugs that would give us the ability to treat cancers that, at the moment, do not respond to treatment.

Grant information

Institution - Institute of Cancer Research
Researcher - Professor Johann de Bono
Grant award - £393,414
Duration - 2014-2017
Reference - PG13-036 de Bono