New research grants help pave the way on prostate cancer

11 April 2023

New research grants help pave the way on prostate cancer

Four landmark Australian prostate cancer research projects have been awarded grant funding from Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA), providing new funding for researchers exploring some of the most difficult challenges for men facing the deadly disease. 

The projects add to PCFA’s $50m investment in prostate cancer research since 2008, delivering outcomes for the estimated 240,000 Australian men alive today after a diagnosis of the disease.

The coveted grants have been awarded to pioneering early and mid-career researchers at four Australian institutions, including Monash University, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, UNSW Sydney and the University of South Australia.

The Chief Executive Officer of PCFA, Anne Savage, said the four projects would deliver findings within 12 months.

“Around 66 Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every day, with increasing numbers of men impacted as our population ages and increases. With the number of aggressive prostate cancers on the rise, research into defeating the disease is vitally important to the current and future health of Australian men and their families.

“Each of these outstanding projects will make a vital contribution to a growing body of worldwide knowledge into the disease, positioning Australia at the forefront of global research.”

Project details:

Targeting epigenetic changes in advanced prostate cancer

Dr Joanna Achinger-Kawecka, Garvan Institute of Medical Research

This project will help identify new epigenetic drivers of treatment-resistant neuroendocrine prostate cancers (NEPCs), using emerging technologies and pre-clinical models to try and restore men’s response to treatment. Hormone treatments targeting androgens are the current standard-of-care for men with metastatic prostate cancer, but many patients will experience the emergence of treatment-resistant NEPCs over time. The research aims to solve this problem.

Manipulating the immune response for prostate cancer treatment

Dr Laura Porter, Monash University

This project will help to advance more effective and targeted treatments for men with metastatic prostate cancer, using the immune system to eradicate prostate cancer proliferation with CAR T-cell therapy, whereby T-cells bind to cancer cells and destroy them. To date, CAR T-cell has not proven effective against prostate cancer, but this research will seek to identify factors that strengthen the treatment response to slow the spread of prostate cancer and improve survival.

Developing a physiological prostate cancer model for rapid drug testing

Dr Kate Guan, UNSW Sydney

This project will map the metabolic pathways involved in resistance to a specific type of hormone therapy and target identified pathways with metabolism inhibitors to restore treatment response in men with metastatic prostate cancer. The research aims to identify metabolism-targeted agents that can effectively block anti-androgen resistance or synergise with anti-androgen treatments to improve survival outcomes.

Inequalities in care and real-world outcomes for men with advanced prostate cancer

Dr Kerri Beckmann, University of South Australia

This project will investigate therapies for men with metastatic prostate cancer to identify patterns of disadvantage. It will also seek to better understand any adverse events and the survival outcomes related to different types of therapies. The outcomes will inform best-practice care for men, advancing our work to overcome disparities such as a 24% higher rate of death in regional areas.

Chief of Mission and Head of Research for PCFA, Professor Jeff Dunn AO, said increased investment in research is key to survival.

“Research offers the most viable prospect for finding ways to effectively prevent, detect, treat, and eliminate prostate cancer.

“Prostate cancer gets around half the funding currently being poured into other major cancers, which means we are lagging behind in lifting survival rates sooner.

“Our hope is that these grants will accelerate new discoveries to resolve some of the puzzles of prostate cancer.

“In the longer-term, our focus is on securing an even greater level of investment to defeat the disease altogether, delivering breakthroughs on a par with the creation of the cervical cancer vaccine for women.

“Key priority areas for investment include collaborative research grants, new funding for genomics, a focus on theranostics and next generation radiotherapy, and support for the emerging pipeline of nuclear medicines that could find better ways of treating prostate cancer than current standards of care.

“Clinical trials remain an immediate need – to accelerate the research required to save men’s lives today.”

For more information and support, go to pcfa.org.au.

ENDS

Media contact:

Laura Howden | 0468 788 609