Defeating prostate cancer’s bodyguards to improve men’s treatment options

Grant information

Reference: TLD-CAF25-013
Researcher: Dr Laura Martínez Escardó
Institution: Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute
Award: £348,987

What you need to know

• Prostate cancer can boost the level of 'bodyguard’ molecules that protect its cells from threats, helping them survive. This project will look for ways to stop those bodyguards from working.
• The research will also look at how the body’s cells around prostate cancer tumours are involved in protecting the disease – and how this too might be stopped.
• If successful, the research could lead to new ways to boost the effectiveness of existing treatments for men with advanced prostate cancer, giving men more time with their loved ones. 

About Dr Laura Martínez Escardó

Dr Martínez Escardó completed her master’s degree in Biomedicine at the University of Barcelona, followed by a PhD at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. For her PhD, she studied the molecular signals that control how cells die in aggressive tumours like glioblastoma and neuroblastoma, earning top marks and contributing to multiple publications. 

Since 2021, Dr Martínez Escardó has been a postdoctoral researcher at the CRUK Scotland Institute (formerly known as the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research) in Glasgow, working on prostate cancer. Her research explores how blocking key survival proteins can make cancer cells more vulnerable to treatment. She’s developed her skills in advanced lab techniques and studying cancer in mice, and her work has already revealed promising new treatment strategies. This grant will enable her to extend this promising research as an independent researcher. 

Why are we funding this research?

Prostate cancer treatments have improved a lot, but for many men with advanced disease, the cancer eventually stops responding. When this happens, options are limited, and the cancer can keep growing.

Researchers have discovered that prostate cancer cells use special 'bodyguard' molecules to protect themselves from dying, even when treatments try to kill them. These bodyguards make the cancer harder to treat.

This project is tackling that problem head-on. Dr Martínez Escardó plans to block these bodyguards so the cancer cells can no longer hide from treatment.

What makes this research different is that it’s not just looking at the cancer cells themselves – it’s also studying the surrounding cells that help the cancer resist treatment. By understanding both, Dr Martínez Escardó hopes to find smarter ways to make therapies work better and with fewer side effects. 

What will Dr Martínez Escardó do?

To tackle the ‘bodyguard’ molecules that make prostate cancer harder to treat, Dr Martínez Escardó will use two main strategies.  

The first is a genetic approach. She’ll modify prostate cancer cells so that the genes that make these bodyguards switch off. This lets her see what happens when the cancer loses its protection – does it shrink, die, or find another way to survive? Because this method only affects the cancer cells, it’s a precise way to test how important these bodyguards really are. 

The second approach uses drugs designed to block the same bodyguards. Unlike the genetic method, these drugs can also affect the cells around the tumour, which often help cancer resist treatment. By comparing both strategies, Dr Martínez Escardó can learn whether targeting just the cancer cells is enough, or if the surrounding environment needs to be tackled too. 

She’ll use advanced models of prostate cancer, including ones that mimic prostate cancer that’s stopped responding to hormone therapy (known as castration-resistant prostate cancer). Using cutting-edge techniques, she’ll track how tumours grow and respond when these bodyguards are removed, and study their cells in detail to uncover why some cancers respond well while others fight back. 

For this project, Dr Martínez Escardó will work closely with Dr Helen Pearson, a leading prostate cancer researcher at Cardiff University. Dr Martínez Escardó will spend time in Dr Pearson’s lab learning vital research techniques, like growing tiny 'mini-tumours' and slicing real tumour samples to study them outside the body. These methods will help her see how cancer cells – and the cells around them – react to new treatments. The partnership is about sharing ideas, building knowledge, and making sure the research is as relevant to real men as possible.

How will this benefit men?

This research could make a real difference for men whose prostate cancer has stopped responding to current treatments. By finding ways to strip away the cancer’s strongest defences, it aims to make therapies work again – giving men more options when they need them most.  

The ultimate goal is to develop treatments that not only shrink tumours but do so with fewer side effects, helping men live longer and feel better during treatment. In the future, this work could lead to personalised approaches that target the cancer and its support system, improving survival and quality of life for thousands of men facing advanced prostate cancer.