Why We Funded It:
This is a short project to test a new and innovative idea for
developing new drugs against advanced prostate cancer, where there
are currently very few treatment options for men. If successful,
this work can be used to secure further funding to further develop
treatments for advanced prostate cancer. It is vital to provide
funding for research ideas at the very early stages - without these
projects, we would never reach the point of a new successful drug
becoming available for men living with advanced disease.
Scientific Title: The role of autophagy in the
initiation, progression and recurrence of prostate cancer.
Research project summary:
This pilot study will test whether autophagy plays a role in the
initiation, progression and recurrence of prostate cancer, and
whether it provides protection against drug treatments. Autophagy
is a 'clean-up' process that takes place in all cells (cancer and
normal) to destroy old cells and unwanted components such as
bacteria, parts of the cell which have become injured or damaged
(for example following radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment), or
cell components which are simply no longer needed. The study
will measure autophagic activity in human prostate cancer tissues
at different stages of the disease, and also in a mouse model of
the disease. Molecules which activate and inhibit autophagy will be
tested at different stages of cancer progression, to see if
progression of the cancer can be slowed or stopped by altering the
amount of autophagic activity. This project ultimately plans to
test if altering autophagy in prostate cancer at specific stages of
the disease could help control its progression and increase its
sensitivity to current treatments, such as Docetaxel. The
information generated by this study could allow the development of
new drugs capable of altering autophagy in prostate cancer for use
alone, or in combination with existing drug treatments.
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