University of California, Los Angeles
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| Name: |
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David Heber, MD, PhD |
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Director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition |
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Rabdosia Inhibition of Prostate Tumor Growth and Emergence of Androgen Independence |
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The Chinese herb Rabdosia rubescens (donglingcao) is a potent inhibitor of prostate cancer growth. Dr. Heber is studying the effects of the herb and its various chemical components on the progression to hormone-resistant prostate cancer in animal xenograft models of prostate cancer.
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| Name: |
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Michael E. Jung, PhD |
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Professor of Chemistry |
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Androgen Receptor Antagonists in the Treatment of Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer |
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The progression to hormone-resistant prostate cancer is due primarily to an upregulation of the androgen receptor (AR). Dr. Jung is investigating the preparation of novel AR inhibitors which, unlike other AR inhibitors, remain active despite the development of hormone-resistant disease, potentially making them useful as therapeutic interventions for men with aggressive prostate cancer.
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Owen N. Witte, MD |
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Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics |
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Target Cells for the Origin of Prostate Cancer |
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Identifying cells critical to the initiation of prostate cancer is an important and necessary step in defining targets for new treatment approaches. Dr. Witte is evaluating the relative efficiencies of three different types of cells for their ability to become cancerous with a goal of determining the optimal cellular targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Lily Wu, MD, PhD |
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Associate Professor of Urology |
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Multimodal Imaging to Track and Detect Prostate Nodal Metastasis |
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The presence of metastases in pelvic lymph nodes is the strongest predictor of disease progression and poor outcome. Dr. Wu is building better prostate tumor models to closely monitor and decipher the connection between lymphatic and systemic metastasis, with a goal of using these data to help advance a non-invasive prostate nodal metastasis imaging system into the clinic. |
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University of California, San Diego
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| Name: |
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Michael G. Rosenfeld, MD |
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Professor of Medicine |
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Strategies for Preventing Hormone Resistance in Prostate Cancer |
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The development of hormone resistance in men with advancing prostate cancer is influenced by a number of disparate factors that interact with the cancer cells and regulate their growth. Dr. Rosenfeld is studying the interaction between prostate cancer cells and macrophages and exploring whether mediators of this interaction can serve as targets for new therapeutic interventions. |
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University of California, San Francisco
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| Name: |
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Marc I. Diamond, MD |
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Assistant Professor of Neurology |
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Molecular Mechanisms of AR Inhibitors |
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Evidence suggests that improved anti-androgen therapy might be effective for a significant subset of men with hormone-resistant advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Diamond will use cell and molecular approaches to identify the mechanisms underlying the function of two new antiandrogens, which were identified through evaluation of a library of FDA-approved compounds and natural products.
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Timothy P. Quinn, MD |
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Assistant Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics |
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Recombinant Proteins That Convert VEGF into a Cell Death Factor as Therapy of Prostate Cancer |
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When bound to the growth factor VEGF, the recombinant protein R1FasL targets and kills prostate cancer cells. Dr. Quinn is studying the efficacy and safety of R1FasL in prostate cancer animal models and evaluating whether a related fusion protein, R1TRAIL, might have superior activity in promoting the death of cancer cells.
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Eric J. Small, MD |
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Professor of Medicine |
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Radiotherapy and CTLA-4 Blockade as Combination Therapy for Treatment of Metastatic Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer |
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Inhibition of CTLA-4, a natural suppressant of the immune system, has proven to be an effective method for inducing a immune response against prostate cancer cells. Dr. Small is conducting a pilot clinical trial to determine whether external beam radiation in combination with CTLA-4 blockade might be an effective therapeutic strategy for men with advanced prostate cancer.
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Paul Webb, PhD |
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Associate Research Biochemist, Diabetes Center |
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Anti-Inflammatories, Androgens, and Prostate Cancer: Probing a Drug Target on the Androgen Receptor Surface |
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In the presence of insufficient androgen due to the use of hormone therapy, the androgen receptor recruits co-activators to help it regulate expression of genes that promote growth and survival of prostate cancer cells. Dr. Webb has identified four agents that inhibit the binding of co-activators, thereby modulating its activity in advanced prostate cancer. |
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University of Connecticut Health Center
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| Name: |
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Linda H. Shapiro, PhD |
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Associate Professor of Cell Biology |
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Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen in Prostate Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis |
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The overexpression of PSMA, a transmembrane peptidase, in advanced prostate cancer correlates negatively with prognosis. Dr. Shapiro is using prostate cancer allografts in mice lacking PSMA or treated with PSMA inhibitors to better assess its role in the development of metastatic disease. |
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University of Illinois
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| Name: |
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Jianjun Cheng, PhD |
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Assistant Professor of Materials Science |
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Aptazyme-Actuated Invertible Liposomes for Targeted Prostate Cancer Therapy |
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Efficient use of chemotherapeutic agents for men with advanced prostate cancer treatment is limited by its relatively poor systemic absorption. Dr. Cheng is developing technologies that facilitate tumor targeting and enable the release of a drug at a programmable rate directly to the cancer cells, thereby improving the drug’s efficacy and minimizing its side effect profile. |
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University of Louisville
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| Name: |
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La Creis R. Kidd, PhD, MPH |
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Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology |
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Combined Genetic Assessment of Angiogenesis Pathway Variants Predictive of Prostate Cancer Risk |
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African-American men are at increased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer, possibly because of genetic variations in the angiogenic pathway that promote tumor growth and metastasis. Dr. Kidd is evaluating the interaction among variant genes central to regulating angiogenesis and their effects on prostate cancer risk in African-American men. |
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University of Michigan
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| Name: |
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Arul M. Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD |
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S. P. Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology |
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Development of Small Molecule Inhibitors Against Gene Fusion Products of Prostate Cancer |
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Recent studies have demonstrated that the fusion of two gene products that is commonly seen in men with prostate cancer might be a useful therapeutic target. Dr. Chinnaiyan is developing an assay system to screen for small molecule inhibitors of these gene products with a goal of identifying new agents for the targeted therapy of prostate cancer.
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Robert D. Loberg, PhD |
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Research Assistant Professor of Medicine |
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Genetic Profile of Circulating CD11b+ PBMCs as a Biomarker for Prostate Cancer |
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Macrophages are an essential cellular component of the innate immune system and help to protect tissue from infection and injury. Dr. Loberg is studying the mechanisms that underlie the development of macrophages from its parent cells, known as CD11b+ PBMCs, and whether, in the presence of prostate cancer, the macrophage DNA is altered to promote tumor growth and metastasis.
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Russell S. Taichman, DMD, DMSc |
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Professor of Dentistry |
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Prostate Cancer Parasitism of the Stem Cell Niche |
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Attraction of prostate cancer cells to the bone marrow is the first step in the development of bone metastases. Dr. Taichman is studying the tumor cells’ co-opting of the bone marrow’s own system for regulating cell trafficking and survival and evaluating whether the molecules involved in facilitating this process can serve as targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Shaomeng Wang, PhD |
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Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry |
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Preclinical Evaluation of Potent and Specific Small-Molecule Inhibitors of the MDM2-P53 Interaction as a New Therapy for Advanced Human Prostate Cancer |
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Inhibition of the p53 tumor suppressor by the MDM2 oncoprotein disrupts the critical role of p53 in controlling prostate cancer cell cycle progression and cell death. Dr. Wang is developing an inhibitor of the MDM2-p53 interaction in an attempt to reactivate p53 and slow tumor growth. |
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University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
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Denise S. O’Keefe, PhD |
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Assistant Professor of Urology |
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Low-Dose Decitabine as an Epigenetic Therapy for Prostate Cancer |
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Epigenetic alterations that affect a cell’s behavior but not its DNA are frequently seen in prostate cancer. Dr. O’Keefe is exploring whether inhibiting DNMT1, an enzyme that maintains these changes, can effectively reverse these epigenetic alterations and serve as a novel therapeutic intervention for prostate cancer. |
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University of Regensburg (Germany)
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| Name: |
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Christoph A. Klein, MD |
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Head, Division of Oncogenomics |
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Identification of Adjuvant Therapy Targets by Direct Genomic Analysis of Metastatic Precursor Cells in Prostate Cancer |
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Precursor cells of later arising metastases that are found in the bone marrow of men with prostate cancer patients predict for a poor outcome. Dr. Klein is using a newly developed technique for genomic profiling of single cells to analyze these precursor cells and identify genetic aberrations that can serve as targets for novel therapies. |
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University of Southern California
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| Name: |
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Christopher A. Haiman, ScD |
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Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine |
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Fine Mapping of the 8q24 Prostate Cancer Risk Locus |
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Genetic variations between ethnic groups account for at least some of the differences in prostate cancer risk profiles between racial/ethnic groups. Dr. Haiman is performing high-density genotyping and sequencing in one chromosomal region, known as 8q24, to identify genetic variants that affect risk in African American, Japanese, Latino, Native Hawaiian, and Caucasian men.
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| Name: |
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Shi-Lung Lin, PhD |
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Assistant Professor, Cell and Neurobiology |
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Functional MicroRNA (miRNA) in Prostate Cancer |
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MicroRNA (miRNA) plays an important role in uncontrolled cell proliferation and enhanced cell death. Dr. Lin is using high-throughput miRNA microarrays, miRNA FISH, and man-made Pol-II-driven intronic miRNA vectors to pinpoint miRNAs that lead to the development of metastatic prostate cancer.
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Mariana C. Stern, PhD |
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Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine |
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Meat Intake, Genetic Susceptibility, and Advanced Prostate Cancer Risk |
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Laboratory studies have demonstrated that carcinogens found in cooked meats induce prostate tumors and DNA damage. Dr. Stern is using two large databanks to determine whether the higher rates of well-done red meat intake among African-American men and their subsequent higher levels of ingested carcinogens might contribute to their increased risk for developing prostate cancer. |
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The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
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| Name: |
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Sue-Hwa Lin, PhD |
| Title: |
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Professor of Molecular Pathology and Genitourinary Oncology |
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Osteoblast Cadherin (OB-Cadherin) for the Prediction and Prevention of Bone Metastasis |
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Adhesion molecules that mediate direct interactions between prostate cancer cells and osteoblast bone cells contribute to the propensity of the cancer cells to metastasize to bone. Dr. Lin is using the adhesion molecule OB-cadherin as an early predictor of bone metastasis and as a target for adhesion-blocking antibodies to prevent prostate cancer bone metastasis.
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Renata Pasqualini, PhD |
| Title: |
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Professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology |
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Pre-Clinical Studies Toward the Translation of IL-11R Targeting Ligands in Prostate Cancer |
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The IL-11 molecular pathway has been implicated in the progression of malignant human tumors metastatic to bone, and upregulation of the IL-11 surface receptor is commonly found in advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Pasqualini is studying BMTP-11, a cell death promoter that targets the IL-11 receptor, and is evaluating its role as a therapeutic intervention for metastatic prostate cancer.
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Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD |
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Assistant Professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology |
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Characterizing Immunological Responses for Correlation With Clinical Outcome in Prostate Cancer Patients Treated With Anti-CTLA4 Therapy in the Neoadjuvant Setting |
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The lack of standardized endpoints to measure the effectiveness of prostate cancer immunotherapy presents a challenge to its clinical development for advanced disease. Dr. Sharma will conduct a pilot clinical trial of immunotherapy in men with treatment-naïve prostate cancer to identify markers that can predict response to the treatment.
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| Name: |
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Zhengxin Wang, PhD |
| Title: |
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Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology |
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Screening for Small Chemical Compounds That Inhibit c-FLIP Gene Expression to Induce Apoptosis in Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer |
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Expression of the c-FLIP gene is essential for the survival of prostate cancer cells. Dr. Wang will screen a small chemical compound library to identify compounds that specifically inhibit c-FLIP expression and will investigate whether inhibition of c-FLIP expression induces cancer cell death in hormone-refractory prostate tumors. |
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University of Virginia
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| Name: |
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Michael J. Weber, PhD |
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Director, Cancer Center |
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Identification of Redundant and Compensatory Molecular Targets for Prostate Cancer Therapy |
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Redundant or compensatory activities within cells can undermine the desired therapeutic effect of an agent directed toward a single target. Dr. Weber is using an array of predefined inhibitors to identify redundant and compensatory pathways that will help to identify, in turn, molecular targets for combination therapy. |
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University of Washington
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| Name: |
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Alvin Y. Liu, PhD |
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Research Associate Professor of Urology |
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CD90 as a Urinary Biomarker for Prostate Cancer Detection |
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CD90 is an extracellular protein that is released from prostate tumor tissue and excreted in the urine. Dr. Liu is evaluating the potential role of CD90 as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer and is comparing its properties to other markers currently available or in development. |
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University of Wisconsin, Madison
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| Name: |
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Wade A. Bushman, MD, PhD |
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Professor and Vice Chair of Surgery |
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A Role of Interleukins and Cyclooxygenase-2 in Prostatic Epithelial Expansion |
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Chronic inflammation is a key factor in the development of prostate cancer, and inflammatory mediators are known to promote tumor growth. Dr. Bushman is using the developing prostate as a model to identify the specific actions of individual inflammatory mediators on cell proliferation and is performing a comparative analysis of their actions in a model of chronic inflammation to better understand their roles in the development of prostate cancer. |
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Vancouver General Hospital (Canada)
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| Name: |
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Martin E. Gleave, MD |
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Director, The Prostate Centre |
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Role of Clusterin Isoforms and Splice Variants in Prostate Cancer Cell Survival |
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The cytoprotective chaperone clusterin confers broad-spectrum treatment resistance in men with prostate cancer. Dr. Gleave is conducting a series of experiments to characterize the different isoforms and variants of clusterin to better understand the function and mechanism of action of clusterin and OGX-011, an antisense inhibitor of clusterin that is currently being evaluated in clinical trials. |
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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| Name: |
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Robert J. Matusik, PhD |
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Director, Vanderbilt Prostate Cancer Center |
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The NFkB Pathway Controls Androgen Independent Prostatic Growth |
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Activation of the NFkFB transcription factor regulates androgen receptor action and maintains androgen-independent growth of prostate cancer. Dr. Matusik is evaluating whether inhibition of the NFkB pathway can reverse androgen-independent prostate cancer growth and result in tumor regression.
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Weill Medical College of Cornell University
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| Name: |
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Ashutosh K. Tewari, MD, MCH |
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Associate Professor of Urology |
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Technical Innovations in Real Time Tissue Identification During Robotic Radical Prostatectomy to Maximize Cancer Removal and Optimize Return of Sexual Function |
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The desire to spare the erectile nerves during prostatectomy must be balanced with the imperative to remove all of the cancerous tissue. Dr. Tewari is constructing a fiber-optic nonlinear endoscope that can be used to obtain high-resolution optical imaging to better differentiate between the neurovascular bundle and the prostate cancer cells. |
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Yale University
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| Name: |
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Alan Garen, PhD |
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Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry |
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Targeted Nanoparticle Vectors to Deliver the Icon Gene for Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy |
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Delivery of the Icon gene to tumor cells activates an immune response that destroys the tumor. Dr. Garen is developing liposomal nanoparticle vectors to deliver the Icon gene to the tumor cells and is testing their efficacy and safety in animal models of human metastatic prostate cancer. |
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