Developing new ways to target prostate cancer which do not respond to treatment
Grant information
Institution – Imperial College London
Researchers – Professor Charlotte Bevan & Dr. Claire Fletcher
Grant award - £588,628
Duration of funding – 2018-2023
Status - Complete
Reference – RIA17-ST2-017
It’s the belief that what we're doing is going to improve things for men – perhaps not now, maybe not soon; but eventually.
Why did we fund this project?
- Androgen hormones are essential for the growth and function of the prostate, and the androgen receptor (AR) plays an important role in prostate cancer development.
- Hormone therapies that block androgen signals can be effective in treating prostate cancer, but the cancer can become resistant, causing the treatments to stop working.
- Professor Bevan and her team aimed to study newly discovered shorter forms of the AR gene which have been linked to prostate cancer that has become resistant to treatment.
- They wanted to investigate how these AR gene variants are controlled by tiny pieces of genetic material called microRNAs.
Why did we fund this project?
Watch the Spotlight on webinar for more information of the role of the AR in prostate cancer.
Spotlight on - The AR
What did the team do?
- The team checked whether the microrepressors are specific to the androgen receptor (AR).
- The team used advanced microscopy techniques to see if microrepressors stop the movement and activity of the AR.
- The team also investigated whether the microrepressors can be combined with other anti-androgen therapies.
What did the team achieve?
- The team discovered that changes in the length of the AR gene and other cancer-related genes are linked to faster progression of prostate cancer, and that different variants of the AR gene are present in cancers that are resistant to hormone therapy.
- They identified two particularly interesting microRNAs that can bind to both the full-length AR and the shorter AR variants. These microRNAs can influence the growth of prostate cancer cells, and their effect depends on which versions of the AR are present.
- They also found that the levels of these two microRNAs are altered in hormone therapy-resistant cancer cells, and their abundance can affect how quickly prostate cancer progresses.
What does this mean for men?
- Current therapies are relatively limited for men with hormone-resistant prostate cancer, and they can have adverse side-effects to men.
- These microrepressors could be used to enhance current anti-androgen therapies to reduce prostate cancer growth.
- So, this study is an important step in finding new ways to target hormone-resistance, increasing life-expectancy and quality of life for men.
With your help we can beat prostate cancer, together
With your continued support you can help us cure more men with less harm. Take action today and help us work towards a future where men's lives aren't limited by prostate cancer
