PCF-Funded Investigator Wins Coveted Lasker Award

The PCF is pleased to announce that Charles Sawyers, MD, has been named a recipient of the prestigious 2009 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, honoring pioneers in innovative medical research. Funded by the PCF since 1997, Dr. Sawyers’ research at UCLA and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has focused on investigating the signaling pathways that drive the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Presented since 1945 by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, The Lasker Awards are among the most esteemed science accolades given in the world to recognize the contributions of scientists, physicians, and public servants who have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of human disease. Popularly known as "America's Nobels”, past Lasker Awards recipients often have gained future recognition by the Nobel committee which awards the Nobel Prize.

PCF-Funded Investigators Make Advances in Biomarkers

Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan's group have identified a metabolite -- sarcosine -- that could be detected in urine tests in order to gauge the agressiveness of prostate cancer.

Dr. Howard Sher's group is studying the use of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as predictors of treatment outcomes.

Dr. Howard Scher Reports Early Results for Clinical Investigation of New Antiandrogen (MDV3100) in Advanced Prostate Cancer

During the 2008 AACR Annual Meeting on April 14, Dr. Howard Scher reported early results from a Phase I/II clinical trial of a new medication, MDV3100, produced by San Francisco-based biotechnology company Medivation, for advanced prostate cancer.

Twenty-one patients with advanced, hormone-refractory (also called castration-resistant) prostate cancer were treated with MDV3100 and have been followed for 12+ weeks. There were no treatment discontinuations for safety concerns. The only significant adverse event was fatigue in about 10% of treated patients. PSA was reduced more than 50% in 43% of the patients. The study endpoints include safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, effects on serum PSA levels and disease progression. The PCF looks forward to more results presented at a major medical conference in the near future.

This compound was originally synthesized and tested by Dr. Charles Sawyers at UCLA and the work was partially funded by PCF. Dr. Sawyers has received grants from the PCF since 1997. Dr. Scher has been funded by PCF since its inception in 1993 and leads the Prostate Cancer Therapeutic Investigation Consortium, co-funded by PCF and the Department of Defense.  The Consortium accelerates the development of nearly all medications for advanced prostate cancer. The PCF Therapy Consortium leaders are highly engaged in accelerating patient accrual in clinical evaluation of this "bench to bedside" PCF research story.

Generous research support from PCF Board Member David Koch to the Prostate Cancer Research Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has greatly amplified the early success of this very promising new treatment for advanced prostate cancer.

Arul Chinnaiyan Wins AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research

With backing from the PCF, Arul Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D. has discovered how 'fused' genes can turn on the switch that lead to prostate cancer. Discoveries by his research team at the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology could lead the way to better prostate cancer therapies. Dr. Chinnaiyan has won the 2008 American Association for Cancer Research Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research

Caltech's Dr. Alexander Varshavsky Wins First Annual Gotham Prize

The new $1 million Gotham Prize was encourages innovation in cancer research by fostering collaboration among top thinkers to further prevention, diagnosis, etiology and treatment of cancer. Dr. Varshavsky's potentially revolutionary therapies selectively target genetic alterations only found in cancer cells. If translated into new medications, patients with many different human cancers will benefit. Dr. Varshavsky received funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation in 1995 and 1996.