Androgen-regulated proteins: predictors of prostate cancer development and progression

Funded Activity Summary

Use of PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels in blood to screen for prostate cancer has resulted in a) earlier detection of tumours and b) increased diagnosis of a premalignant disease of the prostate called PIN (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia). PIN is thought to progressively change into cancer, which can invade the rest of the body. Growth of the cells of the prostate is regulated by male hormones called androgens. Small cancers localised to the prostate grow in response to androgens, but larger cancers which have spread from the prostate grow steadily even after the androgen supply is cut off by removal of the testicles. In this project we will examine changes in the level of various proteins in the prostate, which are known to be produced in response to androgen, to see whether they discriminate: 1) those patients with PIN who will go on to develop prostate cancer, 2) those patients with small cancers within the prostate who progress to widespread cancer. We also propose to use a laser-controlled dissecting microscope to obtain pure populations of cancer cells from prostate tissues and then to isolate their DNA in order to: a) examine the DNA sequence of the protein which controls cellular growth in response to androgen (ie the androgen receptor) to see whether undesirable changes (mutations) have occurred in its structure during the development of the cancer, and b) identify proteins which mediate the effects of the androgen regulated proteins and control cancer development or spread. This will be done using the revolutionary technique of gene microarrays, where partial DNA sequences of approximately 4,000 different prostate genes are spotted onto small membrane filters, and which enable identification of genes that change in level with the onset of cancer and cancer spread. These 2 objectives will, in the case of a) prevent inappropriate treatment for prostate cancer, and b) identify targets for new treatments and for chemoprevention.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2001

End Date: 01-01-2003

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $391,073.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Oncology And Carcinogenesis

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Androgen receptors | Androgen responsive proteins | Diagnosis | Disease outcome | Disease progression and prognosis | Early stage prostate cancer | Prostate cancer | Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN)

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