Prostate Cancer Research

The Prostate Cancer Foundation's primary mission is to fund promising research into better treatments and a cure for recurrent prostate cancer. The PCF has raised more than $350 million and provided funding for more than 1,400 research projects at nearly 150 institutions worldwide. The Prostate Cancer Foundation is now the world's largest source of philanthropic support for prostate cancer research.

Since 1993, the PCF has provided financial support for many important advances in the field of prostate cancer research, including the discovery and early development of promising new treatments now in clinical trials, the development of gene therapy approaches to combat prostate cancer, and the development of vaccines that work with the body's immune system to kill prostate cancer cells.

Each year, the PCF reviews hundreds of applications from cancer researchers around the world and provides grants to those researchers working on the most promising projects in three broad areas: the basic science of prostate cancer, translational science (the bridging of basic science discoveries and their clinical application) and early clinical trials of potential new treatments for prostate cancer.

To speed prostate cancer research and reduce red tape, the PCF employs a "fast-track" awards process designed to maximize the time researchers spend searching for better treatments and a cure for recurrent prostate cancer. The PCF follows a venture capital model of philanthropic investing, providing initial funding for high-impact, early-stage research projects that offer great hope for new treatments or better understanding of the disease. When these early investments demonstrate promising results, other institutional funders, such as the National Cancer Institute or biopharmaceutical companies, step in to provide the major funding needed to complete the work and bring a new drug or treatment to market.

The PCF has also fostered an unprecedented level of cooperation among scientists, physicians and industry executives working on prostate cancer research and treatments. The PCF hosts an annual Scientific Retreat that brings together the brightest minds in prostate cancer research in an effort to break down the traditional barriers that impede progress toward better treatments and a cure for recurrent prostate cancer.