Gerhardt Attard

About Gerhardt Attard

Dr. Attard earned an MD degree from the University of Malta and a PhD degree from the Institute of Cancer Research, London. He is currently a Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute for Cancer Research.

Inhibition of CYP17 by abiraterone has promising anti-tumor activity in advanced prostate cancer. This experimental medication blocks the production of the gasoline that fuels cancerous tumor growth. Nonetheless, 50 percent of chemotherapy-treated patients do not respond to abiraterone from the outset, and the majority of patients eventually develop acquired resistance. Circulating tumor cells, the small number of cells that break away from a solid mass and enter blood circulation, will be studied to identify a biomarker profile that predicts which patients might be sensitive to abiraterone and those that might become resistant.

Professor Johann de Bono, MD, PhD, a preeminent medical oncologist at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and a leader in prostate cancer clinical trials, will be Dr. Attard’s mentor.

Read the Progress Report for this award