Research
Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project 2020 Update
The Biome Project is moving our research program ahead. By Shannon Fields, Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project Coordinator
philanthropic gift from Sydney and Sharon Martin.
In the fight against cancer, research is our most powerful weapon. Jefferson faculty at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) have literally written the first book on prostate cancer for patients, and they are continuing to rewrite the medical literature with innovative research and new discoveries. The Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project (PPCBP) is the newest chapter supported through a major
This project is a long-term, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional collaboration that studies the region’s prostate-cancer biome, the biological-sociological-psychological ecosystem where it flourishes. The project partners with top cancer centers, hospitals, and universities in the Philadelphia region to collect and process biospecimens and patient/ population data. Patients are tracked over years
to understand the many factors that predict outcomes in the prostate cancer biome. The data will be used to develop new strategies to prevent, diagnose, and treat the disease, leading to better outcomes for years to come. The Biome Project is supported by a major philanthropic gift. The overall direction of the program the responsibility of Dr. Kevin Kelly Director, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology and Associate Director of Clinical Research, SKCC and Dr. Leonard Gomella, Chair Department of Urology and Senior Director for Clinical Affairs, SKCC.
Pilot Program Award Success Since launching in 2019, the Biome Project has funded 9 pilot awards in the clinical, basic, and population science arenas. Pilot funds have already been used to develop 3 other successful R0-1 grant applications. See page 36 for details on one specific example of how these pilot grants can lead to major NIH funding. To check out the some of these pilot projects and watch videos from the outstanding investigators behind them visit www.Jefferson. edu/givebiomeproject. The Biome Project is proud to announce that three NIH RO1 grants were awarded to Jefferson researchers with preliminary data gathered through pilot projects funded by the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project. Josep Domingo-Domenech, PhD, MD, is identifying the mechanisms that cause and 32
Year in Review
advance prostate cancer, which will help target those mechanisms with potential future therapies. The lab is researching the role of the GATA2 signaling network in lethal prostate cancer. GATA2 has a key role in driving prostate cancer aggressiveness. This work has earned an NIH R01 award. Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo, PhD, is investigating how aggressive tumors adapt and survive with high levels of chromosomal defects in order to find molecular vulnerabilities for therapeutic targeting. The Rodriguez-Bravo lab has been awarded an NIH R01 grant. The five-year R01 grant helps the lab continue to conduct impactful research, potentially developing several other Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project projects over time.
Thenappan Chandrasekar, MD, and Sushil Kumar Tripathi, PhD, pilot awardees continued work discovered at Jefferson on the VPAC molecule in order to develop a simple and affordable test that uses only voided urine to detect prostate cancer. Dr. Mat Thakur, coinvestigator in this biome project, has recently been awarded an NIH R01 grant based on the foundations of this early research. This five-year NIH grant, with Dr. Edouard Trabulsi as Co-PI with clinical support from the Department of Urology, will substantiate preliminary Biome Project data through this new grant and allow the further refinements of this urinary-based prostate cancer test (see page 36).
