Tackling therapeutic resistance in prostate cancer disparities
Reducing prostate cancer disparities by inhibiting cell signalling and growth.
Project Summary
Black men have lower availability of treatment options for prostate cancer
Some patients initially respond to therapeutic treatments, but sometimes due to frequent exposure, the cancer can develop various methods against the cancer-killing treatments
SCF complexes play an important role in the growth and spread of prostate cancer
In the SCF complex, a protein called Skp1 is crucial for cancer progression and signalling. Black men have a higher expression in prostate cancer cells
Our researchers believe that if Skp1 is blocked, then the SCF complex function can hinder the growth and spread of prostate cancer
By testing drugs that block Skp1, our researchers will determine if this could treat prostate cancer more effectively in Black men
About the Researchers
Dr Xin Li
Principal Investigator
Dr. Xin Li is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development, Clark Atlanta University. Xin Li’s research interests involve reducing prostate cancer disparities via novel targeted therapy, investigating the molecular alternations contributing to the higher morbidity and mortality rates of prostate cancer in African Americans, unveiling the molecular mechanisms underlying chemoresistance, and developing novel therapeutics to overcome prostate cancer chemoresistance.
Ms. Alira Danaher
Research Technician
Ms. Alira Danaher is a Research Technician at the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development, Clark Atlanta University. She holds a B.S. degree in Biology and is actively involved in several preclinical drug discovery projects. Ms. Danaher is especially interested in developing new small-molecule drug candidates to treat advanced prostate cancer and reduce prostate cancer disparities in African Americans.
Nicholas Cook
PhD Candidate
Nicholas Cook is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Biological Sciences and the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development, Clark Atlanta University. His research interests are the molecular mechanisms of chemoresistance, the development of novel therapeutics to overcome chemoresistance and improve clinical outcomes, and the reduction of cancer disparities in African Americans.
Therapeutic Resistance
Prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men more than other racial groups.
Prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men more than other racial groups. It remains unclear the contributing factors to this significant health disparity, and there is limited research on prostate cancer in the Black population and lower availability of treatment options to Black prostate cancer patients. Therefore, it is urgent to develop novel treatments for Black men suffering from lethal prostate cancer.
Black men are already underrepresented when it comes to research and clinical trials, and consequently, clinical outcomes for Black men become increasingly worse when their prostate cancer becomes therapeutic-resistant. This research represents an innovative effort to fill the current gap in knowledge and treatment solutions for therapeutic-resistant prostate cancer in Black men.
We know that Black men are disproportionally impacted by prostate cancer compared with White men for reasons that are still not understood. Additionally, SCF complexes could be overactivated in Black men when compared with White men due to Skp1 initiated interactions with other proteins, making it important to find a way to interfere with its process.
The Research Project
Prostate cancer is a complex disease that researchers don’t know everything about. What they do know is that cancer cells have very similar functions to healthy cells, but with malicious intent. Like healthy cells, cancer cells have a life cycle, produce proteins to do certain functions, and have different genes and complexes to complete their tasks.
SCF complexes play an important role in prostate cancer by sending signals that control the growth and spread of cancer. In the SCF complex, a protein called Skp1 plays an important role; it is crucial for cancer progression and signaling. As the “hub” of the SCF complexes, Skp1 exhibits higher expression in prostate cancer cells from Black men.
By experimenting on cell models in the lab, the researchers will first investigate and compare the Skp1 expression in prostate cancer tissue specimens from Black and White patients. Then they will evaluate the therapeutic-resistant and therapeutic-sensitive cell models from Black men. This will help determine the role that Skp1 plays in therapeutic-resistant and metastatic prostate cancer cells and prostate cancer disparities in Black men. Our researchers believe that if we can block Skp1, then we can stop the SCF complex function and hinder the growth and spread of prostate cancer.
By testing whether blocking the SCF complex with a drug that inhibits Skp1, our researchers will determine if this strategy could treat prostate cancer more efficiently in Black men.