Using big data to predict the risk of prostate cancer coming back

Grant information

Institution – University of Manchester
Lead Researcher – Professor Robert Bristow
PhD Researcher – Ronnie Rodrigues-Pereira
Grant award - £139,722
Duration of funding - 2016-2022
Status - Complete
Reference – TLD-S15-009

Why did we fund this project?

• Just like two men can be very different, so too can their cancers. This means men can respond very differently to the same treatment. Professor Robert Bristow wanted to develop computer-based methods to predict how each man’s cancer is likely to respond to therapy.
• Inside every cell in a man’s body is a set of instructions, called genes, that control how the body works. This computational analysis could help identify changes to a man’s genes that affect how his cancer grows and responds to treatment.
• To ensure the prostate cancer research community remains strong for the future, it is vital that we support the development of new researchers. Professor Bristow committed to closely supporting PhD student Ronnie Rodrigues-Pereira throughout this studentship, helping him gain the skills and experience required for a career in science.

What did the team do?

• Ronnie and the team analysed large international datasets containing information from thousands of men with prostate cancer, including the genes that are most active in their cancer, how the cancer was treated and whether the cancer came back after treatment.

• They looked to see if they could identify combinations of genes that are associated with aggressive prostate cancer and investigated some of these genes further to understand which ones might be key drivers of cancer cell growth.
• They also developed computational methods to find patterns of gene changes that could be used to predict how likely a man’s cancer is to respond well to treatments like surgery or radiotherapy.

What did the team achieve?

• The team identified a pattern of gene changes that is associated with aggressive prostate cancer that is more likely to come back after treatment. This could help determine which men would benefit from receiving additional hormone therapy alongside surgery or radiotherapy.
• Interestingly, the team identified some unexpected genes as potential key drivers of cancer cell growth and have created new cell lines to explore their roles further.
• Recommendations were also made for improvements to the methods used to collect prostate cancer samples donated by men. This will help improve the accuracy of future research on gene patterns associated with response to treatment.

What does this mean for men?

• Using large datasets and developing computational tools to detect complex gene patterns could allow men to choose treatments that are more likely to work for their particular prostate cancer.
• Matching treatments to an individual man’s cancer could help reduce the side effects of unnecessary treatments and ensure the right men get the right treatment at the right time.
• Through this research, Ronnie has become a highly skilled researcher in the UK’s health and cancer sector, specialising in using big data and computing to uncover complex gene patterns.