Development of novel targeted therapeutics for prostate cancer
Section: Section of Medicine
JS de Bono, C Parker, D Dearnaley, C Cooper, D Hudson
In collaboration with Professor David Dearnaley and Dr Chris Parker in the Radiotherapy Section, the Drug Evaluation Team is specifically focusing on developing novel targeted therapeutics for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration refractory prostate cancer (CRPC). More than 100 patients with CRPC were evaluated for early clinical trials over the last year, with approximately half these patients being recruited to trials of several targeted agents. Agents under investigation include the monoclonal antibody 2C4, the histone deacetylase inhibitor PXD-101; the fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors BIBF1120 and CHR258; an antibody to the IGF-1R and a small molecular inhibitor of 17-hydroxylase and androgen synthesis called abiraterone acetate (compound generated by ICR chemists).
Moreover, in order to study the molecular aetiology of castration resistance the Drug Evaluation Team has been successfully collecting tumour biopsies from patients with castration refractory prostate cancer as well as the matched pre-treatment, hormone sensitive, tumour material. Array comparative genomic hybridisation studies are being carried out in collaboration with Professor Colin Cooper to evaluate the genetic changes associated with castration resistance by the clinical research fellow Dr Gert Attard.
Finally, in collaboration with our colleagues in Immunicon (Huntingdon Valley, PA) we are evaluating the prognostic value of circulating tumour cell numbers as well as their utility for pharmacodynamic studies of targeted agents in patients with CRPC.
External funding: MC Collaborative
In the Section of Medicine
