We’re excited to announce that a clinical trial has been launched as a result of our world-first research into a biomarker for prostate cancer. This project has been supported by a number of generous donors.
This project, led by Professor Lisa Horvath, developed a cancer biomarker called PCPro that tests the fats in a patient’s blood to help identify whether their cancer might be resistant to treatment.
This biomarker will be used to improve treatments for patients with advanced metastatic prostate cancer.
Cancer biomarkers are like clues that help us understand how a cancer might behave or respond to treatment. By studying biomarkers, researchers at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse can develop better and more personalised treatments for people with cancer.
Chief investigator and medical oncologist, Dr Tahlia Scheinberg, has played a key role in developing and patenting the PCPro biomarker.
Tahlia explains, “We’ve identified that men who have particular changes in the fats in their blood, have a poorer survival than those without those changes.
“The long-term goal for this research is to be able to target this profile, by giving people additional therapy to treat the altered fats in their blood. We hope that this will help them live longer with advanced cancer.”
With the support of donors, the team have developed a simple blood test to find patients with the PCPro biomarker. The team will now test whether they can improve outcomes for people with this PCPro biomarker by using a new drug.
If the trial is successful, the team hope that the PCPro test could be made available to patients anywhere in the world, to identify the most effective course of treatment. This could transform outcomes and bring hope for thousands of men with advanced prostate cancer all over the world.
“For a group of men who we know have a poorer survival, who might not do as well with standard treatments, we are really hoping to be able to improve their outcomes in a meaningful way with this new discovery,” says Tahlia, who recently won the highly competitive Young Investigator Award from the US Prostate Cancer Foundation.
"It’s been a really long journey, taking something I’ve developed from the lab and moving it into a clinical trial to try to see if we can make a difference to patients’ treatment responses and outcomes. It’s exciting to see the full spectrum of how we can translate that research.”
“What excites me about research is the opportunities it gives patients. As a researcher, you can see the impact research can have on people’s lives; to watch something that started as an idea to actually make a difference for people is amazing.”
This incredible discovery is a testament to the transformational power your donations can have on helping discover new and more effective treatments for cancer. We wish to thank our generous donors who helped make this research possible.
