Making mini tumours to learn how to personalise treatment

Grant information

Why did we fund this project?

• Every prostate cancer is different, and so the best treatment for one man may not be the best treatment for another.
• As prostate cancer develops, the DNA in cancer cells undergoes changes, called mutations, which promote the growth and spread of cancer.
• Mutations are different in each man's prostate cancer, and this can alter how effective treatments are.
• Amanda and team wanted to work out exactly how different mutations in cancer cells affect how well treatments work.
• In particular, they focused on a type of prostate cancer treatment that works by stopping cancer cells from repairing themselves (such as Olaparib). The team proposed that certain mutations might make this type of treatment more effective.
• Their findings could be used to predict which treatments will work best based on the mutations in a man's prostate cancer, meaning men can receive the most effective therapy tailored to them.

What did the team do?

• Amanda and team grew 'mini-tumours' in the lab from prostate cancer cells, and intentionally created mutations commonly found in prostate cancer.
• The team studied how mini-tumours with various mutations responded to treatments.

What did the team achieve?

• The team identified mutations that changed how the mini-tumours responded to treatment.
• Some mutations made the mini-tumours more susceptible to treatments like Olaparib, that stop cancer cells from repairing themselves. 
• Excitingly, the team found when treatments didn't work on mini-tumours with certain mutations, often a combination of multiple treatments was effective.

How will this benefit men?

• The team's work could help to predict which treatments will work in which men, based on the mutations in their prostate cancer cells.
• With further validation, this insight could help guide treatment decisions to ensure men get the most effective treatment personalised for them.
• The team's next steps are to use their insight to guide recruitment for clinical trials of new prostate cancer drugs, ensuring the men who are most likely to benefit are included in the trial.