Effect of IGF receptor inhibition on sensitivity of prostate cancer to DNA damaging cancer treatments

Dr Valentine Macaulay & DPhil student Kunal Lodhia, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford

Many men with prostate cancer develop secondary tumours (metastases), often in the bones. These advanced cancers may respond to hormone therapy or chemotherapy, but cannot be cured, and there is an urgent need for more effective treatments. Our research project focuses on a growth promoting protein called the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR), which helps prostate cancer cells to grow and spread.  We have shown that the IGFR is detectable at high levels in prostate cancers and bone metastases. This is an exciting time for our research, because new drugs that block the IGFR are now being tested in patients.  We know that if we can stop the IGFR working, we can make prostate cancer cells easier to kill using radiotherapy and some types of chemotherapy.  We think this is because blocking the IGFR makes the cells less good at repairing the damage to their DNA caused by the cancer treatments.  The aim of this project is to work out how the IGFR affects the function of DNA repair proteins. This will help us to use the new IGFR blocking drugs more effectively, so that we can offer better treatments to men with advanced prostate cancer.

Project commenced
January 2009

Length of project
3 years

Amount supported
£99,900