Developing new ways to target prostate cancer which do not respond to treatment

Grant information

Institution - Imperial College London
Researcher - Professor Charlotte Bevan
Grant award - £99,155
Duration of funding - 2013-2016
Status - Complete
Reference - S12-026

The project in a nutshell

• The team have designed and tested a new treatment, known as a microrepressor, to target the androgen receptor (AR), a key driver of prostate cancer progression.
• This new therapeutic approach reduced the activity of the AR and appeared to enhance the effect of other therapies in targeting hormone-resistant prostate cancer cells.
• Further work is currently underway to refine the delivery of the microrepressors, before hopefully moving towards clinical trials.

Why did we fund this project?

• Androgens such as testosterone are important in the growth of prostate cancer.
• These androgens bind to and activate the androgen receptor (AR), with many current therapies designed to target either the production of androgens or activity of the AR.
• Hormone therapy targets androgens, and some men with prostate cancer can become resistant to hormone therapy, which leads to the return of aggressive prostate cancer.
• Therefore, better methods of targeting the AR are required to prevent resistance and relapse.
• This project proposes a new way to block the AR which can overcome limitations of hormone-resistant prostate cancer of current therapies.

What did the team do?

• The team checked whether the microrepressors are specific to the androgen receptor (AR).
• The team used advanced microscopy techniques to see if microrepressors stop the movement and activity of the AR.
• The team also investigated whether the microrepressors can be combined with other anti-androgen therapies.

What did the team achieve?

• The team showed that in the presence of androgens, the microrepressors can attach to the androgen receptor (AR) and reduce its activity.
• When combined, the microrepressors showed promise in enhancing the effects of other anti-androgen therapies on reducing prostate cancer growth.
• The team were able to show that the microrepressors were selective to the AR, which means they are specific and will limit potential side effects.

How will this benefit men?

• Current therapies are relatively limited for men with hormone-resistant prostate cancer, and they can have adverse side-effects to men.
• These microrepressors could be used to enhance current anti-androgen therapies to reduce prostate cancer growth.
• So, this study is an important step in finding new ways to target hormone-resistance, increasing life-expectancy and quality of life for men.