The PCF Challenge Award Winners – Class of 2021 recipients are:
2021 Durden Foundation-PCF Challenge Award
Principal Investigators:
Joshi Alumkal, MD (University of Michigan)
Euisik Yoon, PhD, MSc (University of Michigan)
Co-Investigators: Thomas Westbrook, MD (University of Michigan), Arvind Rao, PhD (University of Michigan), Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD (University of Michigan), Zachery Reichert, MD, PhD (University of Michigan), Todd Morgan, MD (University of Michigan)
Project Title: Single Cell Profiling to Identify Mechanisms of Tumor Progression in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Description:
- We now appreciate that prostate tumors are often heterogeneous, containing a mixture of cells with different behaviors and responses to treatment. Furthermore, some tumor cells can adapt and change over time to assume a different identity that is more like a nerve or brain cell, rather than a prostate cell. This identity switch is most commonly exemplified as neuroendocrine prostate cancer—a form of prostate cancer that is particularly difficult to treat.
- It is now well-appreciated that analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from liquid biopsies—blood samples—is one approach to understand the architecture of tumors present within an individual patient more comprehensively. CTCs can be present at high levels in patients with advanced disease and represent an alternative to invasive biopsies for studying tumor biology.
- Joshi Alumkal and Euisik Yoon have developed a novel technology for profiling individual CTCs from patients with advanced prostate cancer. In this project, the team will use this technology to study molecular features in CTCs at baseline and throughout the course of treatment in patients with newly diagnosed, hormone-naïve metastatic prostate cancer who are starting treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and ARSIs. Doing so may identify specific cell populations present from the get-go that are responsible for poor patient outcomes and how specific cell populations evolve to assume other identities after treatment.
- The team will also profile tissue biopsies to clarify the tumor architecture prior to treatment and to determine how that architecture changes upon disease progression.
- If successful, the team will establish new blood- or tissue-based approaches to identify patients at high risk of treatment failure, explain how these tumors evade treatment, and nominate new treatment approaches that can be moved forward to clinical trials to improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with particularly aggressive forms of metastatic prostate cancer.
What this means to patients: Approximately one-third of patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer do not achieve deep or durable responses following standard of care treatments such as ADT + ARSIs. These patients have very poor outcomes. Dr. Alumkal and team will deploy blood- and tissue-based biomarker tests using liquid and tumor biopsies to identify patients whose tumors are at high risk for disease progression and switching to an even more aggressive form of the disease called neuroendocrine prostate cancer. These results can be used to determine which patients may be best suited for new clinical trials that seek to investigate treatments designed to prevent treatment resistance to ADT + ARSIs and/or tumor switching to neuroendocrine prostate cancer.
2021 PCF Challenge Award
Principal Investigators:
Steven Balk, MD, PhD (Harvard: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
Johann de Bono, MD, PhD (Institute of Cancer Research)
Eva Corey, PhD (University of Washington)
Yuzhuo Wang, PhD (University of British Columbia)
Co-Investigators: Adam Sharp, MD, PhD (Institute of Cancer Research), Andreas Varkaris, MD, PhD (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), David Einstein, MD (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
Project Title: Exploiting BH3 Mimetic Drugs to Drive Apoptosis in Prostate Cancer
Description:
- Many new treatments for castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) have been developed in the past decade. However, despite these advances, this disease state remains lethal, and is driven by many different mechanisms. New treatment strategies remain urgently needed.
- Precision medicine is an emerging strategy in prostate cancer oncology, in which patients are prescribed treatments based on their unique tumor biology instead of their general disease state. The development of new precision medicines is a highly promising area for making improvements in outcomes of patients with advanced prostate cancer.
- Steven Balk and team are investigating the potential of BH3 mimetic drugs as new precision medicine treatments in prostate cancer.
- BH3 mimetic drugs are an extremely promising class of treatments that enhance cancer cell death, but they have limited single agent activity in most solid tumors. These treatments inhibit the BCL2 family of proteins which block cell death processes.
- Balk and team have found that genomic alterations in MCL1, UCHL3, and MARCH5, which together occur in up to ~30% of prostate cancer, create vulnerabilities to clinically available BH3 mimetic drugs. In this project, the team will validate these genomic alterations and identify additional genomic alterations in CRPC that cause sensitivity to BH3 mimetic drugs.
- The team will also identify BH3 mimetic combination therapies that are effective in preclinical models of CRPC, as a strategy for expanding these treatments to have efficacy in more patients. The team has already identified some promising combinations that will be further studied in this project.
- The team previously found that castration-sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC) cells treated with intense androgen signaling inhibition (such as abiraterone plus androgen deprivation therapy) become vulnerable to BH3 mimetic drugs. The team will conduct additional preclinical studies that validate the efficacy of BH3 mimetic treatments in combination with intense androgen signaling in CSPC, including testing a novel cyclic intense androgen signaling inhibition approach. These data will be used as rationale to support a proposed clinical trial testing intense androgen signaling inhibition plus BH3 mimetic drugs in patients with CSPC.
- If successful, this project will develop a novel class of therapies for prostate cancer as precision medicine treatments in patients with certain genomic alterations, and as combination treatments that are effective in broader numbers of patients.
What this means to patients: BH3 mimetic drugs are a promising new class of treatments that may have efficacy in prostate cancer with the proper therapeutic approaches. Dr. Balk and team will investigate how to use BH3 mimetic drugs as precision medicine treatments in prostate cancer patients, as well as how these treatments can be combined with other agents to have efficacy in broader prostate cancer patient populations.
2021 Movember-Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride-PCF Challenge Award
Principal Investigator:
Matthew Freedman, MD (Harvard: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Co-Investigators: Mark Pomerantz, MD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Wilbert Zwart, PhD (The Netherlands Cancer Institute), Sylvan Baca, MD, PhD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Tesa Severson, PhD (Netherlands Cancer Institute)
Project Title: Leveraging Epigenomics to Target Acquired Vulnerabilities in Treatment Resistant Prostate Cancer
Description:
- Epigenetics are chemical modifications on DNA that control which genes can and cannot be expressed, and enable the human body to have many different cell types using an identical genome. Alterations in epigenetic patterns play a major role in cancer.
- Dr. Freedman and team are investigating the role of epigenetic alterations in the development of resistance to anti-androgen therapy and progression to neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a highly aggressive form of treatment-resistant prostate cancer.
- The team previously identified patterns of epigenetic changes in prostate cancer samples that tracked with development of metastasis, metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and NEPC. 35 master transcription regulators, including FOXA1, HOXB13, and ASCL1, were found to collectively regulate the genes affected by the epigenetic changes, suggesting they are major drivers of prostate cancer progression and may be promising therapeutic targets.
- In this project, the team will investigate whether targeting any of these transcription regulators in preclinical prostate cancer models will prevent the development of resistance to anti-androgen therapy and progression to NEPC.
- For 25 of the 35 transcriptional regulators, candidate small molecule inhibitors are available. These will be assessed for their efficacy and safety as potential prostate cancer treatments.
- The team will also create a metastatic prostate cancer epigenomic resource for the research community, to accelerate translational research on the development of treatment resistance and NEPC. This resource will be comprised of genomic, gene expression, and epigenetic data from patient samples across the advanced prostate cancer disease spectrum.
- If successful, this project will enable the identification of novel therapeutic targets and treatments to prevent progression to metastatic treatment resistant prostate cancer.
What this means to patients: Once prostate cancer has progressed to a metastatic treatment-resistant state, there are no curative treatment options yet discovered. Dr. Freedman and team have identified a set of transcriptional regulators that control the conversion of prostate cancer to metastatic and treatment-resistant states, and are testing whether these may serve as promising treatment targets. This will lead to new treatments that prevent development of advanced, lethal prostate cancer. The team is also developing a prostate cancer research resource, which will enable other researchers to more rapidly uncover novel biology and treatment opportunities for prostate cancer patients.
2021 Credit Suisse, Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), Trailsend Foundation, PCF Challenge Award
Principal Investigators:
Luke Gilbert, PhD (University of California, San Francisco)
Felix Feng, MD (University of California, San Francisco)
Kevan Shokat, PhD (University of California, San Francisco)
Michelle Arkin, PhD (University of California, San Francisco)
Co-Investigators: Haolong Li, PhD (University of California, San Francisco)
Project Title: Targeting the PTGES3-AR axis in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Description:
- The androgen receptor (AR) is the primary driver of prostate cancer and hence the primary therapeutic target. Unfortunately, resistance to AR-targeted therapy is common, and disease progresses to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), for which no curative therapy currently exists.
- AR-targeted therapy resistance is often driven by tumor cells alterations that reactivate AR activity. New treatment strategies to prevent AR activity remain urgently needed.
- Luke Gilbert and team have developed a novel approach to identifying new genes that regulate AR activity.
- One of the genes identified is prostaglandin E synthetase (PTGES3), which was found to be required for AR activity and growth of AR-driven prostate cancer cells.
- PTGES3 thus may be a new therapeutic target for prostate cancer.
- In this project, the team will identify the mechanisms by which PTGES3 regulates AR.
- The team will determine whether PTGES3 is a biomarker of resistance to AR-targeted therapy using samples from several randomized clinical trials.
- Finally, the team will develop PTGES3-inhibitors that have efficacy in prostate cancer.
- If successful, this team will develop a new treatment approach that can prevent and/or overcome CRPC.
What this means to patients: AR-targeted therapy is the primary treatment for prostate cancer, however treatment resistance is nearly inevitable and patients progress to lethal disease. Dr. Gilbert and team have identified PTGES3 as a critical regulator of AR that drives CRPC. The team will investigate the biology by which PTGES3 drives prostate cancer progression and treatment resistance, and develop new treatments that target PTGES3, which may extend and improve the lives of patients.
2021 Janssen-PCF VAlor Challenge Award
Principal Investigators:
Veda Giri, MD (Thomas Jefferson University)
Susan Halabi, PhD (Duke University)
Alexander Wyatt, PhD (University of British Columbia)
Co-Investigators: Rhonda Bitting, MD (Duke University), Christopher McNair, PhD (Thomas Jefferson University)
Project Title: PARPi Response Evaluation for Clinical Impact and Scientific Innovation in Oncology: The PRECISION Registry
Description:
- The PARP inhibitors olaparib and rucaparib are a new class of “precision medicines” that have recently been FDA-approved for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients whose tumors have mutations in certain DNA repair genes. These include mutations that were either inherited (“germline”) or acquired in the tumor (“somatic”) in BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, PALB2, CHEK2, and multiple other genes. Several additional PARP inhibitors are also being tested in clinical trials.
- However, inconsistent response rates, response durations, and magnitudes of response to PARP inhibitors have been seen in patients with different DNA repair gene mutations. For instance, 83% of patients with BRCA1/2 mutations respond, compared to 37% of patients with ATM Larger datasets spanning diverse practice and patient settings are needed to improve and generalize appropriate use of PARP inhibitors in patients with mCRPC.
- Veda Giri and team are developing “The PRECISION Registry,” an international, collaborative registry of clinical, genomic, and outcomes data from patients with DNA repair mutations who have been treated with PARP inhibitors. Data sources will include pharmaceutical company clinical trial data, off-study data from academic and clinical practices, non-pharmaceutical company trials, prostate cancer registries, and the Durham VA.
- This registry will be used to conduct a meta-analysis to collectively assess responses to PARP inhibitors in patients with different DNA repair gene mutations.
- Bioinformatics and genomic analyses will be conducted using genomic sequencing data to identify genomic modifiers and biomarkers of PARP inhibitor responses.
- If successful, this project will greatly improve clinical use of PARP inhibitors in patients with mCRPC, inform strategies to enhance responses to PARP inhibitors, and accelerate the development of new therapeutics and clinical trials.
What this means to patients: Dr. Giri and team will create a large international registry of data from patients treated with various PARP inhibitors in order to develop a better understanding of how different genomic alterations render sensitivity or resistance to these treatments. This will result in improved clinical use of these treatments and lead to new therapeutic strategies for patients with prostate cancer.
2021 Movember-PCF Challenge Award
Principal Investigators:
Franklin Huang, MD, PhD (University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center)
Elisabeth Heath, MD (Karmanos Cancer Institute; Wayne State University)
Clayton Yates, PhD (Tuskegee University)
Co-Investigators: Hala Borno, MD (University of California, San Francisco), Matthew Cooperberg, MD, MPH (San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center; University of California, San Francisco), Nancy Greenland, MD, PhD (San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center; University of California, San Francisco), Felix Feng, MD (University of California San Francisco), Thomas Hope, MD (San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center; University of California, San Francisco)
Project Title: MET-PAAM: Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms of Tumor Progression in Metastatic Prostate Cancer among Men of African Ancestry
Description:
- Significant prostate cancer disparities exist for African American (AA) patients, who have a higher overall incidence, earlier age of onset, increased proportion of clinically advanced disease, and increased mortality from prostate cancer compared to European American (EA) patients, even after adjusting for social factors. This suggests that other factors, including differences in tumor biology by race/ethnicity/ancestry may contribute to disparities. Understanding the factors that contribute to prostate cancer disparities in AA patients is of critical importance.
- Franklin Huang and team are investigating the genomic and molecular differences that may contribute to prostate cancer disparities in AA patients, and are deploying novel interventions to sustainably improve diversity and inclusion in genomic research.
- The team will identify genomic alterations among AA patients vs. EA patients with metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) and castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) disease states.
- The team will develop and test an online tool that delivers health information and education on tumor genomic testing as a pre-test counseling tool, to improve recruitment of AA patients with metastatic prostate cancer to genomic research studies.
- The team will also develop and expand a high-impact, reproducible training program for underrepresented minority trainees in computational genomics and prostate cancer disparities.
- If successful, this project will identify unique tumor biology in AA patients that may lead to improved precision medicine treatment approaches, as well as improve recruitment of AA patients to prostate cancer clinical trials, and increase the numbers of underrepresented minority trainees in the computational prostate cancer disparities research field.
What this means to patients: African American (AA) patients experience significant disparities in prostate cancer diagnosis and outcomes compared with European American (EA) patients. Dr. Huang and team will map the landscape of genomic alterations in AA prostate cancers, which will enable new precision medicine approaches to be developed for AA patients. The team will also create a digital health tool that will increase ethnic and racial diversity in prostate cancer clinical trials, and develop a training program to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities in the computational prostate cancer disparities research field.
2021 John Black Charitable Foundation-PCF Challenge Award
Principal Investigators:
Nick James, MBBS, PhD (Institute of Cancer Research)
Gerhardt Attard, MD, PhD (University College London)
Bissan Al-Lazikani, PhD (Institute of Cancer Research)
Co-Investigators: Julia Murray, PhD (The Royal Marsden; The Institute of Cancer Research), Katharina Von Loga, PhD (The Royal Marsden; The Institute of Cancer Research), Ros Eeles, PhD (Institute of Cancer Research), Noel Clarke, PhD (Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and The Christie NHS Foundation), Emily Grist, PhD (University College London), Felix Feng, MD (University of California at San Francisco), Elai Davicioni, PhD (Decipher Biosciences), Nasir Rajpoot, PhD (University of Warwick), Christopher Brawley, MSc (University College London MRC), Vincent Gnanapragasam, PhD, MBBS (University of Cambridge), Shan Ahmed Raza, PhD (The University of Warwick), Daniel Spratt, MD (Case Western University), Marina Parry, PhD (University College London), Mahesh Parmar, PhD (University College London), Daniel Berney, MBBS (Barts and the London NHS Trust/Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London), Paolo Cremaschi, PhD (University College London), Syed Adnan Ali, MBBS (The University of Manchester), Áine Haran, MBBS (The Christie NHS Foundation Trust)
Project Title: Biomarker Profiling in Oligo-Metastatic Prostate Cancer – Interactions Between Systemic Therapy and Radiotherapy in the STAMPEDE Trial
Description:
- The STAMPEDE trial, led by Dr. Nick James, is a large multi-center multi-arm multi-stage trial studying a variety of new treatment approaches for men with both locally advanced and metastatic cancer commencing long term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
- Thus far, STAMPEDE has evaluated 10 different treatment approaches, and has identified three treatment regimens that prolong overall survival compared to ADT alone. These are now established standards of care in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who are initiating ADT: the addition of docetaxel, abiraterone, or prostate radiotherapy to ADT.
- However, it remains unclear how to select amongst these approaches for each patient. For instance, prostate radiotherapy + ADT was only found to be of benefit in patients with low-burden (oligo) metastatic prostate cancer.
- Dr. James and colleagues are now using samples and data from patients on STAMPEDE in order to identify biomarkers that better identify patients who will benefit from each treatment.
- In this project, Dr. James and colleagues will develop artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze tumor samples, imaging scans, and patient and tumor genomic alterations, from patients with newly diagnosed oligo-metastatic prostate cancer enrolled on the prostate radiotherapy + ADT treatment arm of the STAMPEDE trial, in order to identify biomarkers that predict benefit from this treatment option.
- These biomarkers will also be compared with biomarkers that predict benefit with the addition of abiraterone, enzalutamide, or docetaxel to ADT.
- Finally, this information will be used to develop an online tool for physicians and patients to aid in selecting treatments most likely to be of benefit.
What this means to patients: Several new treatment approaches have recently been shown to prolong survival in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer. However, it is unclear which treatment option will be best for each individual patient. Dr. James and team will use an AI-based approach to identify biomarkers that predict which patients will benefit from the addition of prostate radiotherapy to ADT. The team will then develop an online tool that physicians and patients can use to aid in optimizing personalized treatment decisions.
2021 AIRA Matrix-PCF Challenge Award
Principal Investigators:
Tamara Lotan, MD (Johns Hopkins University)
Angelo De Marzo, MD, PhD (Johns Hopkins University)
Co-Investigators: Corrine Joshu, PhD (Johns Hopkins University), Bruce Trock, PhD (Johns Hopkins University), Misop Han, MD, (Johns Hopkins University)
Project Title: Testing Deep Learning Algorithms for Prognostication and Prediction in Prostate Cancer
Description:
- The Gleason grading system has been a standard grading system for prognosticating prostate cancer by pathologists for decades, and is a manual determination made of how abnormal the tumor area looks under a microscope. However, standard pathology procedures for grading prostate cancer are time consuming and imperfect.
- Digital pathology is revolutionizing the way pathologists diagnose and grade malignancies.
- Lotan and team are developing artificial intelligence (AI)-based digital pathology technologies to improve the precision and reproducibility of Gleason grading, and to more accurately predict clinical outcomes and molecular tumor characteristics.
- In this project, Dr. Lotan and team will use samples from prostate cancer biopsy and radical prostatectomy cohorts to improve and validate AI algorithms for prediction of Gleason grade, disease progression, metastasis, and recurrence in prostate cancer.
- Whether AI algorithms offer improved prediction of clinical outcomes compared with classical pathology grading systems, and when combined with clinical-pathological variables, will be determined.
- AI algorithms will also be developed that can identify prostate cancer molecular subclasses with specific tumor mutations.
- If successful, this project will result in the development of validated AI systems that offer more accurate and rapid prostate cancer prognostication, which will improve treatment selection and clinical outcomes for patients.
What this means to patients: Digital pathology and artificial intelligence technologies offer the opportunity for predicting oncologic outcomes and tumor molecular characteristics more accurately than the human eye. In this project, Dr. Lotan and team will develop and validate AI systems with high accuracy for predicting prostate cancer aggressiveness, tumor molecular characteristics, and clinical outcomes, which will enable clinicians to choose more appropriate treatment strategies for patients.
2021 Stewart Rahr-PCF Challenge Award
Principal Investigators:
David Nanus, MD (Weill Cornell Medicine)
Channing Paller, MD (John Hopkins University)
Co-Investigators: Katie Hootman, PhD, RD, CDN (Weill Cornell College of Cornell University), Jan Krumsiek, PhD (Weill Cornell College of Cornell University), Mark Stein, MD (Columbia University Medical College), Victoria Fischer, PhD (Hunter College), Karla Ballman, PhD (Weill Cornell Medicine)
Project Title: Metabolic and Inflammatory Response to a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet in Overweight/Obese Men with Prostate Cancer Receiving Androgen Deprivation Therapy: A Phase II Randomized Study
Description:
- Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the cornerstone of treatment for advanced prostate cancer. However, ADT can be associated with significant adverse effects including weight gain, accumulation of body fat, insulin resistance, and an elevated risk of diabetes and cardiovascular death.
- Dr. Nanus and team hypothesize that a whole-food plant-based diet (WFPBD) and behavior intervention will promote weight loss and reduce adiposity in overweight/obese prostate cancer patients on ADT as well as decrease risk of ADT-associated adverse effects including metabolic disorders and cardiovascular mortality.
- In this project, the team will conduct a randomized controlled trial of a two-phase WFPBD intervention for obese or overweight prostate cancer patients on ADT. Study participants assigned to the WFPBD group will receive home-delivered WFPBD meals for 4 weeks along with nutritional counseling, followed by 22 weeks of patients preparing their own WFPBD meals with continued support from study dieticians. Subjects in the control arm of this study will receive standard of care nutritional counseling.
- The team will investigate whether the WFPBD intervention promotes weight loss and/or reduces body fat composition, compared to standard of care nutritional counseling. Compliance to the dietary intervention will be estimated by measuring blood carotenoid levels. The team will also assess quality of life using standard questionnaires.
- In addition, the team will investigate whether the WFPBD intervention improves biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6, hsCRP), metabolic disorders such as diabetes (hemoglobin A1c, fasting insulin/glucose), cardiovascular risk (LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides), or changes the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiome, using blood, urine, and fecal samples collected from patients at various times over the study. In depth studies will also be done to determine whether the WFPBD intervention changes metabolism by measuring a panel of metabolites.
- If successful, this study will establish a practical lifestyle intervention that will attenuate detrimental health effects associated with ADT, particularly among patients who are overweight or obese.
What this means to patients: Dr. Nanus and team are conducting a randomized, controlled clinical trial to test whether a whole-food plant-based diet can reduce adverse effects associated with ADT in obese/overweight patients, including weight gain, accumulation of body fat, insulin resistance, and an elevated risk of diabetes and cardiovascular death. This will provide a practical lifestyle intervention to prevent detrimental health effects caused by ADT, and improve outcomes and quality of life in men with advanced prostate cancer.
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigators:
Theodore DeWeese, MD (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)
Sara Alcorn, MD, MPH, PhD (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)
Co-Investigators: Anna LaVigne, MD (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Jean Wright, MD (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Todd Adams, MD (Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine), Michael Van Wert,MSW, MPH (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)
Project Title: Radiotherapy Deserts in Prostate Cancer: Identifying Regions of Mismatched Resources and Need through Characterization of the Impact of Race, Poverty and the Rural-Urban Continuum on Radiation Resource Density and Utilization in the United States
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigator:
Christina Dieli-Conwright, PhD, MPH (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Co-Investigators: Paul Nguyen, MD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Tim Rebbeck, PhD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Hajime Uno, PhD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Dong-Woo Kang, PhD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Project Title: Exercise to Enhance Cardiovascular Health Among Black Prostate Cancer Patients with Androgen Deprivation Therapy: The POWER Trial
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigators:
Veda Giri, MD (Thomas Jefferson University)
Amy Leader, DrPH, MPH (Thomas Jefferson University)
Co-Investigators: Mary-Ellen Taplin, MD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Brandon Mahal, MD (University of Miami Miller School of Medicine-Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Jessica Russo, LCGC (Thomas Jefferson University)
Project Title: Extending Prostate Genetic Awareness, Navigation, and Delivery: The EXPAND Network
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigator:
Lindsey Herrel, MD, MS (University of Michigan)
Co-Investigators: Avinash Maganty, MD (University of Michigan), Brent Hollenbeck, MD, MS (University of Michigan), Vahakn Shahinian, MD (University of Michigan)
Project Title: Understanding the Impact of Dual Eligibility on Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigators:
Patrick Maison, MBChB (Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana),
Evelyn Jiagge, MD, PhD (Henry Ford Health System)
Co-Investigators: George Amoah, MBChB (Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital), Sylvester Antwi, MD (Henry Ford Health System), Janet Acquaye, MS (Precision Medicine for Aggressive Breast Cancers), Doreen Dankerlui, MS (Henry Ford Health System), Livingstone Aduse-Poku, MS (Precision Medicine for Aggressive Breast Cancer)
Project Title: Integrating Orthodox and Traditional Prostate Cancer Care and Treatment in Ghana
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigator:
Blandina Mmbaga, MD, MMed, PhD (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, United Republic Of Tanzania)
Co-Investigators: Kien Mteta, MD, MMed, MSc (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College), Alex Mremi, MMed (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre), Orgeness Mbwambo, MMed (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre), Bartholomeo Ngowi, MD, MMed (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center)
Project Title: Correlation Between Prostate Cancer and PSA, Community Awareness and Barriers Associated with Screening Among Men in Northern Tanzania
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigator:
Murallitharan Munisamy, MD, PhD (National Cancer Society Malaysia, Malaysia)
Co-Investigators:
Project Title: GPS-P: Guided Patient Support Navigation Programme for Men with Prostate Cancer
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigator:
Pius Musau, MBChB, MMed (Surg), MSc (Urol), PhD (Moi University, Eldoret-Kenya)
Co-Investigators:
Edward Mugalo, MBChB, MMed (Surg), Fellow (Urol) (Moi University, Eldoret-Kenya), Walter Akello, BSc (Med Physio), MBChB, MMed (Surg) (Egerton University, Njoro, Kenya), Dennis Rono, MBChB, MSc (Med Physio), MMed (Ortho)(Egerton University, Njoro-Kenya), Kibet Keitany, MBChB, MMed (Anatomic Pathology) (Moi Teaching and Refferal Hospital, Eldoret-Kenya), Samson Boyo, BBM(marketing), Cert (project mgt), Cert (leadership) (Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret-Kenya)
Project Title: Prostate Cancer Care in Western Kenya: The Determination of Barriers to Care, Establishment and Interrogation of Rapid Access Satellite Clinics and Evaluation of Instituted Measures for Improved Outcomes
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigators:
Jackson Orem (Uganda Cancer Institute, Uganda), Lyn Atuyambe, PhD, MPH (Makerere University)
Co-Investigators: Annabella Habinka Ejiri, PhD, MS (King Ceasor University), Alfred Jatho Lubega, PhD, MPH (Uganda Cancer Institute), Babra Nalwadda, DPH (King Ceasor University), Alphonsina Mujiwimana, MBChB (King Ceasor University), Sibointore Jack, MPH (Uganda Prisons), Justine Ariko, MSc. Nursing (Uganda Prisons), Kajooba Fred, MBChB (Uganda Prisons)
Project Title: Understanding Barriers to and Facilitators of Prostate Cancer Screening Among Men in Uganda Prisons so as to Design and Implement Interventions to Increase Prostate Cancer Screening Uptake in Prison Settings
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigator:
Marques Shek Nam Ng, RN, PhD (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Co-Investigators: Ka Ming Chow, RN, RM, DN, FHKAN(Education) (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Kai Chow Choi, PhD (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Kath Schubach, RN, BSc, MN (Men’s Health Melbourne), Carmen Wing Han Chan, RN, PhD, FAAN (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Project Title: Health Inequity in Sexual Health Services Among Chinese Men with Prostate Cancer in the Public Hospital Setting
2021 PCF-Pfizer Global Health Equity Challenge Awards
Principal Investigator:
Musliu Tolani, MBBS, PGcertPH FWACS, FMCS (Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria)
Co-Investigators: Ahmed Muhammed, MBBS, FMCS (Ahmadu Bello University), Agbo Christian Agbo, MBBS, FMCS (Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital), Rufus Wale Ojewola, MBChB, FWACS, FMCS, MPH (University of Lagos), Ernie Kaninjing, DrPH, MPH, MBA, CHES (Georgia College & State University), Rebecca DeBoer, MD, MA (UCSF)
Project Title: Utilization of an Implementation Science Approach to Develop and Evaluate a Systems Strengthening Intervention for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer Management in a Low Middle Income Country in Sub-Saharan Africa