Amanda Hargrove

About Amanda Hargrove

• Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a critical role in cell development by activating other molecules in charge of shaping gene expression. Recent research suggests that lncRNAs may be the most active driver of aggressive prostate cancer.
• Specifically, the lncRNA SChLAP1 might play a prominent role in metastasis by inhibiting the SWI/SNF complex, a group of proteins that suppress tumor growth in healthy men.
• Dr. Amanda Hargrove will use a library of RNA sequences to identify parts of SChLAP1 that can be targeted with engineered ligands (binding molecules) in order to prevent its interaction with SWI/SNF.
• Investigating engineered ligand binding to SChLAP1 in clinical prostate cancer tissues may lead to identification of promising compounds for SChLAP1-targeted medication development.
• Dr. Hargrove’s research will lay the groundwork for the first clinical trial evaluating the use of SChLAP1-targeting therapies to treat men with advanced prostate cancer.

What this means for patients: Prevention of metastasis of prostate cancer is an unmet medical need. This lncRNA basic research could lead to a novel class of medication to prevent early prostate cancer or treat prostate cancer metastasis.