Research we fund

Assessing prostate cancer aggressiveness using a new type of non-invasive imaging

Funded research by Dr Ferdia Gallagher of University of Cambridge using a new type of non-invasive imaging to determine how aggressive prostate cancer is in individual patients.

Can prostate tumours communicate with bones to promote the movement of prostate cancer cells towards them?

Funded research by Dr Victoria James of the University of Nottingham looking at how prostate tumour cells and bones communicate with each other to help us understand how cancer spreads.

Investigating the role of PDE47 – a new prostate cancer biomarker

Funded research by Professor George Baillie of University of Glasgow investigating the role of a new prostate cancer biomarker called PDE47.

A new method to improve the delivery of dose escalated prostate radiotherapy

Funded research by Ms Ashley d'Aquino of the Royal Marsden Hospital into developing new radiotherapy techniques using 3D scanning, with the aim of better customising dosages and reducing side effects.

Using the body’s immune system to fight prostate cancer

Funded research by Dr Deborah Enting of King's College London into how the NKG2D receptor, which is found on the body's own immune cells and binds specifically to cancer cells, can be used to fight cancer.

A novel approach to stop tumour growth

Funded research by Dr Mark Coles of York University into the stroma cells that surround tumours, what happens to them during tumour spread, and whether affecting them can provide a means of preventing metastasis.

Aldehyde dehydrogenases in prostate cancer

Funded research by Dr Klaus Pors of Bradford University into whether certain enzymes associated with the growth and spread of cancer cells can be used to more accurately diagnose aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

Development of a novel strategy for targeting treatment refractory prostate cancer

Funded research by Dr. Charlotte Bevan of Imperial College London into a newly-designed androgen receptor inhibitor and a targeted method for delivering it, optimising a drug that works when cancer has become less receptive to treatment.

A novel strategy to improve prostate cancer treatment by using a killing virus and drugs

Funded research by Dr Gunnell Hallden of Queen Mary University of London into using a modified virus in combination with chemotherapy to kill cancer cells.

Understanding key regulator molecules important to the progression of advanced prostate cancer

Funded research by Prof. Craig Robson of Newcastle University into phosphatases, their effect on androgen receptors and their potential for use as a drug target.

Insight into the mechanisms linking the metabolism of fat to prostate cancer progression

Funded research by Dr Wells and Dr Van Hemelrijck of King's College London into the whether fat metabolism can be used to indicate whether a tumour is aggressive or indolent.

A new DNA vaccine for prostate cancer

Funded research by Dr Helen McCarthy of Queen's University, Belfast into a peptide-protected DNA vaccine that stimulates an immune response to cancer cells.

A new method to identify men suitable for treatment of recurrent prostate cancer

Funded research by Mr James Stirling of Mount Vernon Hospital to develop new radiography techniques to analyse the precise area and extent of recurrent prostate cancer.

Genetic tests that can be performed on blood to allow the differentiation of aggressive from low activity prostate cancer and the identification of changes that cause resistance in patients receiving treatment

Funded research by Dr Gerhardt Attard of the Institute of Cancer Research into developing tests to identify genetic abnormalities in circulating material that will help distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive cancers.

Ultrasound characterisation of tissues' stiffness in prostate cancer

Funded research by Mr Ghulam Nabi of Dundee University into new ways of using ultrasound to to examine the relative stiffness of tissues within the prostate, and therefore differentiate between aggressive and non-aggressive cancers.

How androgens drive prostate cancer cell growth

Funded research by Professor David Elliott of Newcastle University into the effect of androgen on gene expression in prostate cancer cells, how the affected genes influence progression and whether this basis can be used to diagnose different types of the disease.

Development of a new drug to treat advanced state prostate cancer

Funded research by Professor Simon Mackay of SIPBS into the effect of a particular protein associated with advanced prostate cancer, and the refinement of two drug-like compounds designed to prevent its action.

Investigating mechanisms of hormone resistance in advanced prostate cancer using new models based on stem cell culture

Funded research by Professor Craig Robson of Newcastle University into what happens to androgen receptor expression under hormone therapy, using new models which mimic the environment of advanced prostate cancers.

Identification of new drugs for prostate cancer

Funded research by Professor Marco Falasca of Queen Mary University of London into drugs to block two newly-identified molecules important for the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Exploring new molecular and cellular pathways to better define risk in prostate cancer

Funded research by Professor Alan Clarke of Cardiff University into better understanding the interplay between mutations in the Wnt, PI3-kinase and Ras pathways, and their role in causing tumours and aggressive disease.

Creating new targeted combination therapies for patients with prostate cancer that has spread outside the prostate (metastatic)

Funded research by Professor Colin Cooper of the University of East Anglia into a new therapy that uses nanoparticles containing SK1 inhibitors together with docetaxel chemotherapy.