Improving targeted therapy for men with prostate cancer

Grant information

Institution – Imperial College London
Researchers – Professor Charlotte Bevan
Grant award - £256,896
Duration of funding – 2015-2018
Status - Complete
Reference – PG14-038

• The team aimed to group different types of prostate cancer based on the levels of a family of proteins known as nuclear receptors.
• These nuclear receptors could be new potential therapeutic targets for prostate cancer.

• Some men will die because of their prostate cancer and some men will die with their prostate cancer. It's vitally important we seek new ways to find and treat those cancers that men die because of. 
• Each man will respond differently to treatment, and as the side effects of treatments can be life changing it is really important to understand the differences between those men who respond well and those who don’t. 
• Identifying different groups of prostate cancers based on molecular features, such as nuclear receptors, will help us understand which men will get most benefit and which men can avoid unnecessary side effects.

• The team found a group of prostate cancers, based on their nuclear receptors, that were likely to become resistant to hormone therapies.
• Using compounds designed to inhibit these nuclear receptors they were able to slow the growth of prostate cancer cells showing this approach has the potential to help a large number of men who become resistant to hormone treatment.

• They established a way to group prostate cancer based on nuclear receptors.
• The team showed that targeting these nuclear receptors helped stop the growth and spread of prostate cancer cells.
• This work formed the basis for further research and has highlighted new targets for prostate cancer therapy.

• Too many men develop resistance to hormone treatments that were initially effective.
• This study proposes new targets to help stop the progression of prostate cancer with potentially fewer side effects for men.