Meet our featured researchers
A new treatment for aggressive prostate cancer
Amazing progress has been made towards earlier diagnosis of prostate cancer. But unfortunately, many men are still being diagnosed too late, when their prostate cancer has already progressed. We cannot leave these men behind; we need new treatments that will have an impact for these men now.
That’s why we’re funding a team at Cardiff University aiming to develop more targeted treatments for advanced prostate cancer. Professor Richard Clarkson has dedicated his career to discovering new ways to treat cancer, and Dr Helen Pearson is an expert in prostate biology. Together, they are working on a new way to help men who are diagnosed too late for a cure.
The research Richard and I are working on could help those men who only have a handful of treatment options left
The team are developing a new drug targeting the protein BCL3, which is a key regulator of NF-κβ, a transcription factor known to be important in the growth and spread of prostate cancer. The team have shown that BCL3/NF-κβ signalling is elevated in aggressive prostate cancer, and they think that blocking these signals might control cancer growth.
Professor Clarkson and his team have already been developing a drug that can block BCL3 in breast and bowel cancers, while Dr Pearson and her team made the discovery of a similar role for BCL3 in prostate cancer. The next step for the team is to test the drug on a large range of prostate cancer samples, so that they can gather the evidence they need to run a clinical trial.
This new drug could offer a more targeted treatment that is less likely to have severe side effects, meaning a better quality of life for the men who take it.
Nearly 10,000 men across the UK are diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer every year. The treatment options we have do not work for everyone, and too many men are being left behind. It’s about time these men get the life-changing treatments they need.
That’s the end game here - providing a new treatment option for people who have no more options.
And the results?
We shared Dr Pearson and Professor Clarkson's work with our supporters alongside the story of a man who has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, and so would benefit greatly from new treatments like the one this team are developing.
This appeal inspired supporters to donate an incredible total of £242,000 to support our work.
Thank you!
A huge thank you to Dr Helen Pearson, Professor Richard Clarkson and their team for their cooperation and support throughout the process.
