Prognostic markers from the analysis of mechanisms of genetic predisposition to human prostate cancer

Prof Colin Cooper, Dr Rosalind Eeles, Dr Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Dr Amanda Swain, Institute of Cancer Research

Prostate Cancer, like other cancers, can run in families. We have been identifying regions of the human genome and individual genes that are responsible for this inherited predisposition to prostate cancer. Our past studies, funded in part by the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation, have been remarkably successful leading to the identification of 7 regions (or SNPs) that confer an increase risk of developing prostate cancer (published in Nature Genetics in February 2008).  The SNPs only confer a slightly increased risk of cancer development, but the increased risk associated with the presence of one or more of these alleles affects a large proportion of the general population of  men. The overall affect of the 7 SNPs is therefore very significant accounting for 15% of familial prostate cancer. In the proposed studies we are investigating whether the SNPs control the expression of the genes that are immediately adjacent to them, and will study whether the genes can be used as biomarkers of clinical behaviour. We believe that this is the case because one gene, called MSMB, located immediately next to a linked SNP on human Chromosomes 10 already appears to be involve in prostate cancer development, and is a biomarker of poor clinical behaviour.  If these studies are successful not only will they provide insights into how SNPs control prostate cancer risk, but they will also provide new biomarkers that are urgently required for the management of patients with prostate cancer.

Read more about the paper in The British Journal of Cancer 27 January 2010

Project Commenced

June 2009

Length of Project

2 years

Amount Awarded

£100,000