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Please note: This article is part of the Cancer Center's News Archive and is here for historical
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---Kenneth J. Pienta, M.D.,
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the SPORE in Prostate Cancer
Beginning in 1991, the National Cancer Institute developed
a new program to specifically target grant moneys against
common types of cancer. These Specialized Programs of Research
Excellence (SPOREs) were targeted to lung, breast, gastrointestinal,
and prostate cancers. The SPORE in prostate cancer at the
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center was awarded
in 1994, and is designed to explore areas of science that
have the potential to directly impact the diagnosis and treatment
of prostate cancer and to reduce the morbidity and mortality
of prostate cancer.
The SPORE grant supports an interactive group of established
and new investigators in a translational research program
directed at understanding the biol-ogy of prostate cancer,
as well as developing new tools for its diagnosis, prevention
and treatment. Currently, the SPORE consists of nine multidisciplinary
research projects — six headed by established investigators
and three by career development investigators. These investigators
come from a wide variety of University departments and represent
the disciplines of Urology, Oncology, Radiation Oncology,
Genetics, Epidemiology, and Cell Biology and Anatomy. The
nine projects are divided into general categories that fall
under Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology and Novel Therapeutics.
Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology: Implications for Diagnosis, Prognosis and Screening
Project 1:
“Gain of 8q as a prognostic indicator for prostate cancer
recurrence” (J. Macoska,
T. Glover, J. Montie)
Project 2:
“Epidemiology of prostate cancer in African-Americans”
(J. Montie, D. Schottenfeld,
K. Cooney, K. Alscer)
Project 3:
“Hereditary prostate cancer in African-American families”
(K. Cooney, J. Montie, D. Schottenfeld)
Career Development Project 1:
“Cloning and characterization of a gene associated with
metastatic prostate cancer” (E. Schwab)
Novel Therapeutics: Implications for Prevention and
Treatment
Project 4:
“RB as a regulator of prostate tumorigenesis” (M.
Day, B. Redman)
Project 5:
“Inhibition of human prostate cancer metastasis”
(K. Pienta, A. Raz, H. Sandler)
Project 6:
“Vaccinia PSA for androgen-modulated, post-surgical recurrence
of prostate cancer” (M. Sanda, D. Smith)
Career Development Project 2:
“PHSCN and related peptides: Novel anti-invasive and
anti-metastatic therapeutic agents” (D. Livant)
Career Development Project 3:
“The effect of butyrate on apoptosis induced by radiation,
hormone-withdrawal, and chemotherapy in human prostate cancer
cells” (M. Ljungman)
In addition to these main themes, the SPORE has placed special
emphasis on prostate cancer in African-American men (Projects
2 and 3) and prostate cancer metastasis (Projects 5, CD 1,
CD 2). Each project has a basic scientist and a clinician
working together. Particularly, Project 2 “Epidemiology
of prostate cancer in African-Americans,” pairs the U-M
Cancer Center faculty with faculty from the Institute for
Social Research, as well as private practice urologists from
the Flint area. These unique interactions have allowed the
SPORE to successfully recruit several hundred African-American
men to participate in this study as well as multiple spin-off
projects.
In the future, the work generated from the SPORE will provide
a great resource to prostate cancer investigators. We believe
that we are well on the way to achieving our goal of reducing
the morbidity and mortality that result from prostate cancer.
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