Identifying the best treatment for men with a change to the CHD1 gene

Grant information

Institution - Institute of Cancer Research
Researcher - Professor Johann de Bono
Grant award - £393,414
Duration - 2014-2017
Reference - PG13-036 de Bono

Why did we fund this project?

• Every man’s prostate cancer is different, each having a unique set of characteristics that can affect how fast the cancer grows and spreads, and which treatments will work best.
• Professor Johann de Bono and team identified that prostate cancers with a particular change to a gene called CHD1 are very fast-growing and respond less well to some treatments.
• In this project, the team aimed to understand how this change to CHD1 helps prostate cancer to grow and spread more rapidly, and determine which treatments work best for men whose cancer has this change.

What did the team do?

• The team developed a test to identify men with the change to CHD1 in their prostate cancer.
• They tested hundreds of men for this change, and studied how these men responded to different treatments.
• The team also grew prostate cancer cells with this change in the lab, and studied how the cells grew, spread and responded to treatments.

What did the team achieve?

• The team found that prostate cancers with the change to CHD1 grow and spread more rapidly.
• The team found that this change to CHD1 can affect how well some prostate cancer treatments work, including olaparib, abiraterone, and chemotherapy.
• The team have also gained important insight into how the change drives the growth and spread of prostate cancer, that could explain why men with this change have worse prognosis.

What does this mean for men?

• The teams work has identified which treatments will work best for men with this change to CHD1 in their prostate cancer.
• This will help ensure men get the right treatment at the right time, based on the unique characteristics of their cancer.
• The team have also uncovered information on how this change can drive the growth and spread of prostate cancer. This could identify targets for new treatments.