Developing new sugar-targeting drugs to personalise prostate cancer treatment

What you need to know

• The researchers will study a protein called GALNT7, which is found at high levels in men with prostate cancer.
• GALNT7 makes sugar molecules that are found on the surface of prostate cancer cells.
• They will test new and existing drugs that target GALNT7 (and the sugars it makes) to see if these block the growth and spread of prostate cancer.

What will Dr Munkley, Dr Schumann and their teams do?

Understanding how resistance develops

Many men with prostate cancer are treated with radiotherapy combined with hormonal therapy. While this can be very effective for some, the cancer may return for others.

Dr McDade and Dr LaBonte-Wilson are investigating the use of a drug which blocks the activity of a family of proteins called HDACs. This drug could improve the effectiveness of existing treatments, as well as helping make the patient’s own immune system better at finding and attacking the cancer cells.

Adding a new drug to improve standard treatment

Dr McDade and Dr LaBonte-Wilson want to test this new drug to see if it is effective at increasing the sensitivity of the cancer cells to radiation and hormone therapy, creating a longer lasting effect and preventing the cancer from returning.

They also want to understand what it is about an individual’s prostate cancer that makes it difficult to treat with radiation and hormone therapy. This information could help identify the men who might benefit from additional treatment.

Previous work by this team in colorectal cancer showed that blocking the activity of particular HDAC proteins has potential to enhance how a patient’s own immune cells recognise and eliminate the cancer cells. In this project, they’ll see whether this treatment combination can also trigger an immune response against prostate cancer. If so, this could provide avenues for future studies looking at combining this drug with existing treatments which also boost the immune system.

Potential to develop even more treatment options in the future

Dr McDade and Dr LaBonte-Wilson will use the evidence from this study to propose a clinical trial where they would test this new treatment combination in men with prostate cancer. If successful, this new combined therapy could lead to better treatment options and improved quality of life for men with early-stage disease.

How will this benefit men?

New treatments are urgently needed for men with advanced prostate cancer, and this research could significantly improve these men’s chances of surviving the disease, as well as their quality of life.

Research suggests that GALNT7 is a key player in prostate cancer, and this could be exploited to develop new life-saving treatments. Treatments targeting GALNT7 are already being developed for other types of cancer, and this research could ensure that men with prostate cancer can also benefit.

Discovering new drugs to block GALNT7 is an important opportunity to develop new treatments for men at high risk of their prostate cancer spreading, and for men for whom other treatments have stopped working.

In addition, monitoring GALNT7 in blood samples could make it possible to find out which are men most – and least – likely to benefit from any new treatments developed. This way, these men could be moved onto the right treatment for them without delay.

Grant information

Reference: RIA21-ST2-006
Researcher: Dr Jennifer Munkley and Dr Benjamin Schumann
Institution: Newcastle University
Award: £513,099