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Working under the leadership of Professor Colleen Nelson, a dedicated team of scientists and clinicians is focused on developing new treatments and ways to monitor cancer progression.  

The team has already identified factors found in aggressive and treatment-resistant forms of prostate cancer and are now working to stop cancer cells progressing. A key priority is to implement technologies that help deliver the best treatment at the best time. 

Using the latest in 3D technology, Dr Nathalie Bock has been able to recreate the perfect micro-environment in a petri-dish to mimic what goes on in the body when cancer spreads to the bone.  

“When prostate cancer spreads to the bone, it can be more resistant to some treatments. By creating mini bone tumours in a dish, we can study how cancer interacts with bone outside the patient,” explains Dr Bock. 

The breakthrough offers a novel platform to study and test treatments like hormonal therapies and other specific targeted drugs.  

The ACPRC-Q team is also improving test methods for more accurate diagnosis. For 20% of men, the current ‘gold standard’ prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test is not effective. While in some men the cancer goes undetected, others undergo treatment they don’t need.   

Associate Professor Jyotsna Batra and her research team are developing a modified PSA test which, when used in conjunction with genetic analysis, will be able to determine an individual patient’s predisposition to more aggressive types of prostate cancer. This modified test will help to personalise treatment and improve patient outcomes and quality of life.  

“The next step is to find those genetic variations that may help us identify when cancers are likely to be aggressive rather than slow-growing, and which patients would benefit the most from intensive treatment,” says Associate Professor Batra. 

The team has also made significant progress toward slowing therapy-resistant prostate cancer. In world-first research, Dr Brett Hollier and his team have discovered a cancer protein complex which can be prevented using a new class of drugs that slows the growth and progression of therapy-resistant prostate cancer.  

Within 3 years, the APCRC-Q aims to take at least one therapeutic drug into early phase clinical trial testing in Queensland and subsequent national trials in collaboration with Australian-based prostate cancer specialist clinicians and scientists.  

The team will be working closely with pharmaceutical companies and Queensland hospitals to begin clinical trials this year of new drugs targeting forms of prostate cancer that are resistant to current treatments.    
 

Help fight prostate cancer and save lives

Prostate cancer affects one in seven Australian men in their lifetimes and is the third most common cause of cancer death.

Learn more about Prostate Cancer research at QUT and how you can help improve treatment and diagnosis.