Metastatic Treatment Resistant Prostate Cancer Dream Team - Stand Up To Cancer

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SU2C–Prostate Cancer Foundation Prostate Dream Team:
Targeting Adaptive Pathways in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Grant Term: January 2013−December 2016

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in North America. The SU2C–Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) Prostate Dream Team hypothesized that treatment for one type of the disease, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, became ineffective when certain cellular pathways are activated. The team worked to find ways to shut down these pathways and preserve the effectiveness of the treatment, thus improving outcomes for patients.

ABOUT THIS TEAM’S RESEARCH

Prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in North America, is generally treated with hormonal therapy. If the cancer spreads to other sites in the body and no longer responds to hormonal therapy, it is called metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). It is treated with drugs such as abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide, which target androgen function, and docetaxel and cabazitaxel, which target microtubule dynamics.

The chemotherapies currently used to treat this cancer have significant side effects. Further, nearly all patients with mCRPC develop resistance to these treatments, resulting in significant pain, suffering, and death. The goal of the SU2C–PCF Prostate Dream Team is to improve the outcomes for men with mCRPC who are no longer responsive to treatment by understanding the causes of resistance and developing treatments to overcome them.

The team has explored the idea that resistance is a result of the prostate cancer cells using common cellular responses, called adaptive pathways, to elude current therapies. The team members believed that by identifying these pathways and inhibiting them, they would be able to overcome treatment resistance and profoundly improve survival and quality of life for patients.

SEE SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT

MEET THE TEAM

The top scientists and researchers on the SU2C–PCF Prostate Dream Team come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, which leads them to great insights upon collaboration. Learn more about the SU2C–PCF Prostate Dream Team.

Eric J. Small, MD
Leader
University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
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Owen N. Witte, MD
Co-leader
University of California, Los Angeles
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Dream Team Members

Eric J. Small, MD
University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Leader

Owen N. Witte, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
Co-leader

Tomasz M. Beer, MD
Oregon Health & Science University
Principal Investigator

Christopher P. Evans, MD
University of California, Davis
Principal Investigator

Martin E. Gleave, MD
University of British Columbia
Principal Investigator

Joshua M. Stuart, PhD
University of California, Santa Cruz
Principal Investigator

Roy Doumani, JD
University of California, Los Angeles
Advocate

Art Kern
American Media Inc.
Advocate

Adina Bailey, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Project Manager

“
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“We are incredibly excited about this project. Despite an unprecedented increase in the number of drugs that have been approved for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, our patients still develop resistance to these agents, and still die from progressive disease. This project will help identify the causes of resistance in an individual patient, and help us tailor therapy for that patient.”

Eric J. Small, MD
University of California, San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center

TEAM PROGRESS UPDATES

Stand Up To Cancer’s research projects are designed to foster collaborative, swift translational research. The hallmarks of these efforts include rigorous application and selection procedures, sufficient funding to allow scientists to focus on the objectives of the grant, and reviews by senior scientists every six months. These reviews help the investigators capitalize on the latest findings, address potential roadblocks, and collaboratively evolve as the science requires. Please click below to see summaries of research results so far for the SU2C–PCF Prostate Dream Team.

TEAM PROGRESS UPDATES

PUBLICATIONS

Analysis of Circulating Cell-Free DNA Identifies Multiclonal Heterogeneity of BRCA2 Reversion Mutations Associated with Resistance to PARP Inhibitors
Quigley D, Small EJ, Feng FY, et al. (2017)
Cancer Discovery (9):999-1005.
A Basal Stem Cell Signature Identifies Aggressive Prostate Cancer Phenotypes
Smith BA, Stuart JM, Witte ON, et al. (2015)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(47):E6544-E6552.
Genomic Alterations in Cell-Free DNA and Enzalutamide Resistance in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Wyatt A, Gleave M, Nykter M (2016)
JAMA Oncology 2(12):1598-1606.

CLINICAL TRIALS REFERRALS

Cancer clinical trials allow researchers to study innovative and potentially life-saving new treatments. The goal is to find treatments that are better than what’s currently available; in fact, the therapies offered to today’s cancer patients were almost all studied and made possible by people participating in clinical trials. But many cancer clinical trials aren’t completed because not enough people take part.

At StandUpToCancer.org/ClinicalTrials, you’ll find information and answers to common questions about clinical trials. Learn more and talk to your doctor to see if a clinical trial may be the best choice for you.

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