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PCRC Impact & Financial Report 2018-19 | pcr.org.uk
OUR GRANTS
Current projects Dr Christine Galustian
Immunotherapy: helping the body fight back The aim of this project is to repeat the success of immunotherapy in treating other cancers in prostate cancer. IL-15 is the molecule being studied by Dr Galustian and her team. It has already been shown to be effective in mice with prostate tumours and the plan is for it to enter clinical trials in humans by the end of 2019. Immunotherapy enhances the natural ability of the immune system to kill cancer cells. Prostate cancer can be a tricky target as it reduces the activity of the immune system. This means that many immunotherapies are inactivated once they reach the tumour. This research so far has enabled the creation of a version of IL-15 that can be injected directly into tumours and will stay there by sticking to cancer cells. This has been shown to reduce tumour growth in mice. Combination treatment with another immunotherapy drug has cleared tumours completely from mice. After these extremely exciting results, it is now important to ensure the drug is safe for humans and that it works for prostate cancer patients. If these clinical trials produce positive results, it could result in a new treatment being available to treat, and maybe even cure, hormone resistant disease.
Dr Aamir Ahmed
Prostate Cancer Stem Cells The research in Dr Ahmed’s group aims to translate fundamental knowledge of stem cells and cancer biology into therapies. The laboratory is particularly interested in the Wnt cell signaling pathway, which plays a key role in cancer and is also very important for the regulation of stem cells. Through research which was funded by the PCRC, Dr Ahmed discovered that Wnt pathway appeared to play an important role in prostate cancer. His team are now aiming to translate their knowledge of Wnt signaling in prostate cancer into safer therapies and better diagnosis.
