Co-Investigator
Prostate cancer remains among the most common causes of cancer related death in men worldwide. When aggressive prostate cancer is detected, hormone therapy and radiation or surgery are often used in an attempt to cure the disease. Unfortunately many men who present with high risk disease harbor unfavorable genetics that increase resistance to treatment, rapid progression, and eventually death from castrate resistant prostate cancer.
Our team has worked closely together for years to identify and study specific genetic variations that lead to therapeutic resistance in prostate cancer. Importantly, we have recently identified a rare ‘druggable’ target which modulates prostate cancer’s ability to make testosterone and escape killing by medical treatments. In this proposal we will explore a new class of medications that target the BMX kinase to restore prostate cancer’s sensitivity to anti-cancer treatments. In addition will be focused on eradicating prostate cancer in challenging sanctuary sites, for example the oxygen deprived environment of the bone where prostate cancer metastases thrive.
The studies described in this submission represent a highly innovative paradigm shift which we hope to validate over the course of this 2-year VeloSano pilot study, generating preliminary data for external funding, and moving promising results quickly into clinical trials to treat hormone refractory and high risk prostate cancers.
100% For The Cure
