Uncovering prostate cancer’s hidden survival tricks

Grant information

Reference: TLD-CAF25-012
Researcher: Dr Jacky Leung
Institution: The Institute of Cancer Research, London
Award: £349,763 (funded jointly with CRIS Cancer Foundation)

What you need to know

• Advanced prostate cancer often stops responding to hormone therapy, leaving men with fewer treatment options.
• This research is looking at tiny chemical changes inside cancer cells that may help the cancer survive treatment.
• Pinpointing these changes could lead to new ways to stop cancer becoming resistant to treatment and to smarter, more personalised treatments for men. 

About Dr Jacky Leung

Dr Jacky Leung began his scientific career with a bachelor's degree in anatomy and cell biology at McGill University in Canada, where he developed a strong interest in how the body works at a cellular level. He then went on to complete a PhD at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, focusing on how a key prostate cancer protein (the androgen receptor) can be switched on in different ways. 

During his PhD, he worked in a leading prostate cancer research lab and helped uncover new insights into how this protein is controlled, building skills in cell biology and cancer research. After finishing his doctorate in 2019, Dr Leung moved into postdoctoral research, first in Germany and then at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. There, he expanded his expertise by studying how oxygen stress inside cells affects their behaviour, and he developed advanced tools to measure these changes. 

Now, Dr Leung is combining his deep knowledge of prostate cancer with cutting‑edge techniques in cell stress and protein analysis to investigate how advanced prostate cancer becomes resistant to treatment.  

Why are we funding this research?

One of the biggest challenges in treating prostate cancer is what happens when hormone therapy stops working. For many men with advanced disease, these treatments can keep cancer under control for a while, but eventually the cancer finds a way to grow again. At that point, options become limited and often harsher, with more side effects. 

This project is tackling that problem head-on. Researchers believe that oxygen stress inside cancer cells can help the cancer adapt and resist treatment. These adaptations can subtly change the shape and behaviour of important proteins, including one called the androgen receptor, which is often targeted by existing treatments. But if it changes shape, those drugs may no longer work. 

What makes this research different is its focus on these tiny chemical changes, rather than just genetic mutations. Dr Leung will map exactly how and where these changes happen and test how they help the disease survive, opening the door to new treatments that keep hormone therapy working for longer. 

What will Dr Leung do?

Dr Leung will dig deep into how advanced prostate cancer adapts when hormone therapy stops working. His main task is to track tiny chemical changes inside cancer cells that may help them survive. These changes are caused by the cells being ‘stressed’ by factors including damage from treatments, DNA mutations, and low levels of oxygen reaching the tumour. 

First, Dr Leung will use a technique that lets him scan thousands of proteins at once and pinpoint where these stress-related changes occur. He’ll use this method on tumour samples grown in the lab, including ones that mimic different types of advanced prostate cancer. By comparing tumours that respond to treatment with those that don’t, he’ll identify which proteins are altered in treatment-resistant prostate cancer. 

Next, he’ll zero in on the androgen receptor – a protein that drives prostate cancer growth, often targeted by treatments. Dr Leung will map the exact spots on this protein that are affected and then use gene-editing tools to test what happens when those changes are removed or altered. This will show whether these chemical tweaks help the cancer resist treatment. 

Finally, Dr Leung will work with experts in Barcelona to study the androgen receptor’s shape in detail. This will reveal how oxygen stress-related changes might twist the protein and keep it active. Together, these steps will build a clear picture of how aggressive cancer cells adapt, and point the way to new treatments that block this escape route. 

How will this benefit men?

For men with advanced prostate cancer, one of the hardest moments is when hormone therapy stops working. At that stage, treatment options are limited and often come with more side effects. By uncovering how cancer cells adapt under stress, Dr Leung hopes to find new ways to block this escape route.  

If successful, future treatments could keep hormone therapy working for longer, delaying the need for harsher treatments like chemotherapy. The project could also lead to new tests that show whether a man’s cancer is likely to respond to certain drugs, helping doctors choose the best treatment from the start.  

In the long run, this work could give men more time, a better quality of life, and more personalised care, so that men’s treatment is not just about living longer, but living well.