Prostae Cancer Progress Report

Prostate Cancer Center of Excellence (PC-COE)

At MCW Cancer Center~A Brief Overview

The Prostate Cancer Center of Excellence (PC-COE), at the MCW Cancer Center (MCWCC), is a multidisciplinary active research hub of both basic and clinical scientists with research focus on prostate cancer. The PC-COE includes researchers from the three MCWCC Research Programs (Cancer Biology-CB, Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics-DDT and Cancer Prevention and Outcomes-CPO) and the PCCOE works closely with both the Community Outreach & Engagement Section and the Clinical Trials Office of the MCWCC.

Since founded in 2018, the PC-COE has been led by Dr. Marja Nevalainen, MD, PhD (Professor, Pathology) and Dr. William See, MD, (Professor, Chair, Urology) as the Clinical Co-Director. After the retirement of Dr. See, Dr. William A. Hall, MD (Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology) has been named as the new Clinical Co-Director of the PC-COE. Drs. Ken Jacobsohn, MD (Professor, Urology) and Scott Johnson MD (Associate Professor, Urology) are the Surgical Urology Liaisons for the PC-COE. The PC-COE includes Genito-Urinary (GU) Oncologist, Deepak Kilari, MD, (Associate Professor, Lead of the Phase I Clinical Trial Program at the MCWCC) and GU Pathologist, Ken Iczkowski, MD (Professor of Pathology) who both are passionate in facilitating translational research. There is active recruitment ongoing for new researchers to join the PC-COE at the MCWCC, and we expect considerable expansion in the coming year.

At the PC-COE, our multidisciplinary research forum and innovative environment facilitates the integration of the various

Dr. Marja Nevalainen, MD, PhD Dr. William A. Hall, MD Professor, Pathology Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology research initiatives focused on prostate cancer. The structure and composition of the PC-COE enables formulation of research initiative on diagnostic tools, predictive biomarkers and therapeutic target molecules with a fluent segue to transition to clinical space. The PC-COE has been largely successful in achieving the goals of building collaborative projects among its members. Significantly, the number of co-publications tripled and the number of joint grant submissions doubled since the official formation of the PC-COE in 2018 when compared to the prior three-year period. ~

The key areas of interest are:

n Characterization of critical molecular lynchpins related to prostate cancer progression for therapeutic targeting; n Identification of improved diagnostic strategies and predictive markers assisting clinical care; n Development of novel therapeutic strategies for high-risk local and for metastatic lethal prostate cancer.

“There is active recruitment ongoing for new researchers to join the PC-COE at the MCWCC, and we expect considerable expansion in the coming year.”