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2022 Michael & Tricia Berns – PCF Young Investigator Award

Understanding Metabolic Differentiation of Prostate Cancer by Bipolar Androgen Therapy

Laura Sena, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University

Mentors: Samuel Denmeade, MD, Erika Pearce, PhD

Description:

  • The cyclical administration of high dose testosterone, termed bipolar androgen therapy (BAT), is a promising treatment strategy for patients with advanced prostate cancer, but is not curative.
  • Dr. Laura Sena will investigate whether BAT induces cancer cell metabolic reprogramming that promotes therapy resistance.
  • She will investigate whether disruption of this metabolic reprogramming will enhance the efficacy of BAT in preclinical models.
  • If successful, this project will provide rationale for a clinical trial testing the combination of BAT and metabolism-targeted therapy in patients with advanced prostate cancer.

What this means to patients: Bipolar androgen therapy is a promising treatment, however more optimization is needed to improve its efficacy. Dr. Sena and team will determine whether alterations in tumor metabolism influence the response to BAT and whether the efficacy of BAT can be improved with the addition of treatments that target tumor metabolism. This may lead to clinical trials testing new treatment approaches for patients with advanced prostate cancer.