2021 Movember-Distinguished Gentleman's Ride-PCF Challenge Award Winners
Two exciting new approaches to treating prostate cancer are to be fast-tracked, thanks to Movember and The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride funding, bringing us closer to a world where no man dies from prostate cancer.
Movember is delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 Movember-Distinguished Gentleman's Ride-PCF Challenge Awards, along with our partners at The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).
The awards, which total $2 million, are granted to teams at some of the world’s leading cancer research institutions to support pioneering research in the field of prostate cancer research.
" This will lead to new treatments that prevent the development of advanced incurable prostate cancer. "
Of the funds raised, $1.3 million was raised from the Movember US campaign and nearly $200,000 came from The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2020, the world’s largest annual charity motorcycle event which takes place in over 700 cities around the world.
The two teams who received funding this year are led by Franklin Huang, MD of the University of California and Matthew Freedman, MD of Harvard University and the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute.
African American men are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with and die from prostate cancer than white men. Associate Professor Huang and his team are investigating the genomic and molecular differences that may play a role in prostate cancer incidence and outcomes for African American men – which they hope will lead to new precision treatments. The team will also create a digital health tool that will improve the ethnic and racial diversity in prostate cancer clinical trials.
Associate Professor Freedman’s team are looking at how prostate cancer develops into metastatic and treatment-resistant disease which cannot be cured. They have identified a set of DNA regulators which may lead to promising new treatment targets. This will lead to new treatments that prevent the development of advanced incurable prostate cancer. They are also developing a prostate cancer research resource which will enable other researchers to uncover novel treatment opportunities for men with prostate cancer.
Men with prostate cancer that has spread outside of the prostate gland and stopped responding to treatment have poorer prognoses. Associate Professor Freedman’s team have identified a set of DNA regulators that may be responsible for the development of treatment-resistant cancer. The team will be developing new treatments that target these DNA regulators as a mean to prevent the development of advanced lethal disease, as well as establishing a prostate cancer research resource that will enable other researchers to uncover novel treatment opportunities for men with prostate cancer.
“Research from past Challenge Awards has led to many significant findings that improve outcomes for men with prostate cancer,” said Movember’s Global Director of Cancer Research and Clinical Trials, Jane Fisher, PhD.
"We’re pleased to be continuing the support of this critical research and we're delighted that the efforts of our Mo Bros and Mo Sisters have been joined by The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride.”
“The intent of the PCF Challenge Award is to support ambitious team science with the potential to develop new treatments for metastatic prostate cancer,” said PCF Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer Howard R. Soule, PhD.
“We congratulate Drs. Huang, Heath, Yates, and Freedman and their colleagues on their research which we believe has the potential to develop new therapeutic approaches for advanced prostate cancer and provide more options for patients in need.”