The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), the world's largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research, has granted Michael G. Rosenfeld, M.D., an internationally known and respected molecular biologist, a $100,000 award as part of the PCF’s 2006 Competitive Awards Program.
Rosenfeld is professor of medicine and adjunct professor of biology at Universit
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Michael G. Rosenfeld, M.D.
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y of California, San Diego (UCSD), where he is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator and a member of the
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. In addition, he is an adjunct professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences.
He will use the funding to further his work in developing strategies for preventing hormone resistance in prostate cancer. The development of hormone resistance in men with advancing prostate cancer is influenced by a number of factors that interact with the cancer cells and regulate their growth. Rosenfeld is studying the interaction between prostate cancer cells and macrophages, and exploring whether mediators of this interaction can serve as targets for new therapeutic interventions.
"By understanding the fundamental mechanisms by which prostate cancer cells become resistant to anti-androgens, new therapeutic targets will be identified," Rosenfeld said. “I am pleased that the Prostate Cancer Foundation has given me this opportunity to continue this work.”
The program granted a total of $6.1 million to 63 research investigators from four countries.
The Competitive Awards Program is an innovative venture-style research funding program that provides financial support to high-impact research projects with the greatest potential to improve survival and reduce side effects and death for men with advanced prostate cancer. The awards are granted to projects in a variety of areas including biomarkers, genetics and genomics, nutrition, cancer immunotherapy, new drug discovery and survivorship.
“The PCF Competitive Awards Program concentrates funds entrusted to us by our donors into the most strategic science,” said Stuart Holden, M.D., medical director of the PCF. “This year, we received more than 420 applications from 22 countries and were able to provide 63 projects a decisive boost in funding.”
With its model of drawing new investigators around the globe to the field and enabling investigators to attract additional significant investment, the Competitive Awards Program has played a unique role in the area of prostate cancer research. To date, more than $81 million has been awarded through the Competitive Awards Program, allowing individual investigators to focus their efforts on discovering new ideas and new pathways for prostate cancer treatment strategies.
“We at the PCF are proud of our role in advancing scientific and medical understanding of this disease and identifying new approaches to defeating it,” said Jonathan W. Simons, MD, chief executive officer and president of the PCF. “The PCF continues to leverage and invest every resource available to advance our mission to end death and suffering from prostate cancer.”
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in the United States, striking one in six men. In 2007 alone, more than 218,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 27,000 men will die of the disease. Baby boomer men are turning 60, bringing increasing numbers of men into the highest-risk zone for the disease. As a result, the number of new cases over the next decade is expected to increase to more than 300,000 annually.
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For more information about Michael G. Rosenfeld, MD, see his biographical sketch at http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/rosenfeld_bio.html
Media Contacts:
Nancy Stringer, UCSD, 619-543-6163, nstringer@ucsd.edu
Katie Lambe, PCF, 310-570-4713, klambe@prostatecancerfoundation.org
Shira Berman, PCF, 310-570-4693, sberman@prostatecancerfoundation.org