PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT – OVERALL
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths of men in the United States and places a
significant health burden on society. The overarching goal of the UCSF Prostate Cancer SPORE is to address
this burden by reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with prostate cancer, through leveraging a deep
understanding of the disease to translate biological findings into clinical impact. The SPORE team will approach
this mission with transdisciplinary research that is highly collaborative and translational, through four specific
aims: A) Investigate molecular drivers of aggressive prostate cancer; B) Develop biomarkers to guide treatment
of patients with advanced prostate cancer; C) Target therapeutic resistance in metastatic castration resistant
prostate cancer (mCRPC), which is the lethal manifestation of advanced disease; and D) Accelerate translational
research across the spectrum of prostate cancer.
To address these aims, the UCSF Prostate SPORE proposes three scientific projects, each investigating
aggressive prostate cancer from a mechanistic, biomarker, and therapeutic perspective:
Project 1: Combination immunotherapy with radioligand therapy for metastatic prostate cancer
Project 2: Investigating Clinical and Biological Implications of a Novel Hypermethylated Subtype of mCRPC
Project 3: Deciphering the Role of the Translational Oncogenic Program in Prostate Cancer
These proposed studies will be aided by horizontal collaborations with other Prostate SPORES, NCI initiatives,
and molecular diagnostics companies, as well as vertical collaborations with the National Clinical Trials Network
(NCTN), DOD Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC), and pharmaceutical companies, among
other organizations. Additionally, these projects will be complemented by strong, ongoing institutional
commitments of money and space, well-resourced Career Enhancement and Developmental Research
Programs, and three cores: Administration, Biostatistics/Bioinformatics, and Pathology/Tissue.
The infrastructure outlined under this SPORE application is designed to encourage and promote translation of
innovative, impactful ideas by supporting promising new projects, providing access to critical resources for
bench-to-bedside transitions, sponsoring interdisciplinary collaborations, and providing an effective framework
for mentoring/nurturing the next generation of translational scientists. By bringing together a diverse and multi-
disciplinary group of investigators, this Prostate Cancer SPORE will accelerate highly impactful translational
research with the potential to significantly improve clinical outcomes for men with aggressive prostate cancer.