Research Accomplishments

The Prostate Cancer Foundation has been a major catalyst for many of the scientific advances in prostate cancer research since 1993.  The PCF has made more than 1,500 awards to researchers to support innovative, early-stage research projects that offer the greatest hope for improving outcomes in patients with advanced prostate cancer. These high-impact projects include clinical research to evaluate new drugs, novel treatment strategies for prostate cancer, and basic science research to better understand the biology of prostate cancer.

PCF grant funding has led directly to many advances in comprehending the underlying mechanisms of prostate cancer, including identification of the genetic changes that might cause cells in the prostate to become cancerous; interference with the development of blood vessels that feed nutrients to cancer cells; identification of prostate cell surface markers that can be targeted to destroy cancerous cells; and development of analytical methods that identify the proteins in blood or the prostate that correlate to treatment effect or behavior of the cancer cell.

At the same time, the PCF has funded key clinical trials as part of its efforts to shorten the time between drug development and FDA approval. Since 1993, the PCF has funded the discovery and/or early clinical development of such diverse agents as monoclonal antibodies that directly target prostate cancer cells, bisphosphonates for the prevention and treatment of bone metastases, and endothelin-A receptor antagonists. Each of these agents is poised to make a significant impact on the outcomes of patients with prostate cancer.

Recent Discoveries in Prostate Cancer Research

The following discoveries were all made by PCF-supported scientists:

1. Genetics – William B. Issacs, PhD, at Johns Hopkins discovered a blood test that detects DNA changes in five chromosome regions that can predict a ten-times higher lifetime risk for prostate cancer. Once confirmed in broader, diverse populations, a simple saliva test could provide a useful life-predictive test for men with a family of prostate cancer.

2. Targeted Therapies – Eugene Kwon, MD, at the Mayo Clinic identified three new "brakes" in the male immune system that prevents a patient's immune system from seeing and attacking prostate cancer. The "brake" (B7H3) may be released using new therapeutic agents that could block the function of B7H3 For patients, new drugs to awaken the proper immune response can now be developed.

3. Biomarkers – Robert Getzenberg, PhD at Johns Hopkins has demonstrated that EPCA-2 is a novel biomarker associated with prostate cancer. It has a high sensitivity and specificity, enabling it to differentiate between men with organ-confined and non-organ-confined disease. As a result, caregivers and patients may soon have a new blood test to guide them in which treatments are working and when they can be stopped.

4. Targeted Therapies – Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD, and his colleagues at the University of Michigan discovered a chromosomal translocation and fusion of two unrelated genes (TMPRSS2 and ERG) that is unique to prostate cancer. The team is now developing a system to screen hundreds of molecules that might inhibit activity of ERG and prevent it from binding to TMPRSS2 to slow or stop the progression of prostate cancer. Further, because the fusion of these genes is easily detected and unique to prostate cancer, they are good targets for cancer-killing therapies that could kill prostate cancer cells without damaging healthy cells. For patients, the fusion is a landmark molecular finding that can guide precisely which treatments are best matched for them.

5. Biomarkers – A key genetic change in prostate cancer is the loss of the PTEN gene that may be involved with matatasis. Charles Sawyers, MD, at UCLA and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discovered a marker in the blood known as Insulin Growth Factor Binding Protein 2. For patients, this could mean earlier diagnosis of disease activity in the bone (compared to bone scans) using a test that employs a proteomics-based technology to detect microscopic cancer growth through blood analysis.

6. Nutrition – William Nelson, MD, PhD, at Johns Hopkins identified that a major carcinogen (PHip) found in charred, grilled meats appears to accumulate in the area of the prostate that later develops prostate cancer, but that does not accumulate in other regions of the prostate for reasons still to be determined. Ultimately, further research into why PhiPs accumulate in the prostate may help reduce the incidence of prostate cancer and change dietary recommendations to protect men from prostate cancer.

7. Androgen Receptors – Peter Nelson, MD, and Elahe Mostagel, MD, PhD, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre and the University of Washington, determined that not all patients undergoing hormone therapy may achieve full suppression of androgens. Some tumor microenvironments may create survival testosterone chemically from normal cholesterol. The development of new therapeutic agents to block this action could benefit more than 100,000 U.S. men whose tumors are resistant to current hormonal therapies.

8. Nutrition – Oxidation damages biological molecules and is believed to be partially responsible of the initiation and progression of cancer. Consumption of foods rich in antioxidants may counteract oxidative stress and provide beneficial effects against cancer. David Heber, MD, PhD, at UCLA, demonstrated that several large antioxidant molecules called polyphenols exist in strawberries. Whole strawberry extract and the individual polyphenols isolated from strawberry extracts slowed proliferation of prostate, oral and colon cancer cell cultures. Response to purified polyphenols is dose dependant and related to the antioxidant activity of each compound. A new science that can best determine which compounds and supplements should be incorporated into the diet is emerging for patients.

9. Drug Development - The PCF Prostate Cancer Models Working Group comprised of 13 former PCF competitive award recipients from 12 institutions published State of the Science on Current Research Models in Prostate Cancer. This effort was conducted as a public service and provides a comprehensive point of reference for testing new drugs. Underscoring the PCF’s support of ahead of the curve science, many of the new models forwarded by the team will be incorporated into drug and diagnostics development by biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry and new scientists working on prostate cancer.