Renata Pasqualini, PhD

About Renata Pasqualini, PhD

Implications of Obesity in Prostate Cancer Recurrence and Progression- A Novel Fat-ablating Strategy to Overcome the Cancer Promoting Effects of Obesity
Obese men are more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer and to experience disease recurrence than normal weight men. The significant level of adipose tissue (fat) in obese men has therefore been implicated as a critical contributing factor in poor prostate cancer outcome. Adipose tissue can be categorized into two different types: white fat and brown fat. White fat has been identified as the “bad” fat for cancer, and is most abundant in obese men. Prohibitin-TP01 is a new agent, discovered in Dr. Pasqualini’s lab, which specifically targets the vasculature that nourishes white fat. Preclinical studies in mouse models showed that TP01 treatment reduced white fat and resulted in ~30% weight reduction. Dr. Pasqualini’s goal is to successfully translate Prohibitin-TP01 into the clinic as a new agent for obese men with advanced prostate cancer.