PC-TRIADD: The Prostate Centre’s Translational Research Initiative for Accelerated Discovery and Development

PC-TRIADD is a new initiative of the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, where scientists and clinicians work together to translate discovery research into clinical practice through the development and implementation of clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of new gene therapies. The centre contains the largest prostate tumor bank in Canada, and was the first organization in B.C. to construct and use “high throughput microarrays,” which enables researchers to study thousands of genes simultaneously from tissue samples. Scientists at the centre have already identified five key genes that cause prostate cancer to progress, and have developed targeted drugs that are currently being tested in clinical trials.

Leader:

  • Martin Gleave, MD, FRCSC, FACS
    University of British Columbia/Vancouver General Hospital

Members:

  • Marcel Bally, PhD
    University of British Columbia/BC Cancer Agency
  • Jennifer Bryan, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Helen Burt, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Keith Chambers, MD
    University of British Columbia
  • Kim Chi, MD
    BC Cancer Agency
  • Stephen Chia, MD, FRCPC
    University of British Columbia/BC Cancer Agency
  • Michael Cox, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Barbara Davison, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Shoukat Dedhar, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Sandra Dunn, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Ladan Fazli, MD
    Vancouver General Hospital
  • Karen Gelmon, MD, FRCPC
    University of British Columbia/BC Cancer Agency
  • Larry Goldenberg, MD, FRCPC
    University of British Columbia
  • Emma Guns, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • David Huntsman, MD, FRCPC
    University of British Columbia
  • Burkhard Jansen, MD
    University of British Columbia
  • Bill Jia, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Edward Jones, MD, LMCC, FRCPC
    University of British Columbia
  • Piotr Kozlowski, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Colleen Nelson, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Torsten Nielsen, MD, FRCPC, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Christopher Ong, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Steve Pelech, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Paul Rennie, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Kirsten Skov, PhD
    BC Cancer Agency
  • Poul Sorensen, MD, FRCPC, PhD
    University of British Columbia
  • Don Yapp, PhD
    BC Cancer Agency

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in North American men, afflicting more than 200,000 and killing more than 40,000 men a year. Prostate cancer becomes increasingly common with advancing age. As a result, the incidence is projected to double by 2020, as the baby boomers age. Recent research has led to a 12 per cent reduction in prostate cancer deaths over the past three years; however, recurrence remains a significant hurdle, with tumours commonly developing resistance to cancer therapy.

PC-TRIADD is a new initiative of the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, where scientists and clinicians work together to translate discovery research into clinical practice through the development and implementation of clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of new gene therapies. The centre contains the largest prostate tumor bank in Canada, and was the first organization in B.C. to construct and use “high throughput microarrays,” which enables researchers to study thousands of genes simultaneously from tissue samples. Scientists at the centre have already identified five key genes that cause prostate cancer to progress, and have developed targeted drugs that are currently being tested in clinical trials.

Scientists and clinicians in this research unit are working to increase the rate at which scientific discovery in prostate cancer can be translated into better treatment options. The team is focusing on the genetic mechanisms influencing the progression of the disease and the development of resistance to cancer treatments. This research also has the potential to improve treatments for other cancers.

Hormone treatments remove the androgens (male sex hormones) that control prostate tumour growth. But due to genetic changes triggered by cancer therapy, surviving tumour cells may eventually develop resistance to treatment and begin to grow in the absence of androgens. That’s why researchers are investigating how prostate cancer grows at the molecular level. Their goal is to identify new gene therapies that specifically target prostate cancer and further improve the survival rate. These issues are not specific to prostate cancer, so discoveries may also apply to many other types of cancer. MSFHR funding will support five research themes: