PCF announces 19 new Young Investigator Awards

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) announced 19 new Young Investigator (YI) Awards at the 22^nd Annual Scientific Retreat in Washington, DC, held October 8-10, 2015. Awardees were selected from a pool of 107 applicants from 65 institutions in 9 countries. To date, PCF has provided funding to 172 YIs, representing a total investment of over $36.5 million.

"The new class of Young Investigators exemplifies our commitment to attract and retain superlative research talent, and we are proud to make this impactful investment," said Jonathan W. Simons, MD, president and chief executive officer of PCF. "These awards also come at a critical juncture in prostate cancer research, as we are now realizing the great potential that this work holds for solving other life-threatening diseases."

The Class of 2015 is a diverse group of recent MDs and PhDs whose research programs range from basic science to clinical practice. All recipients have demonstrated potential for high impact research that will improve the lives of all men with prostate cancer in the near future.

The majority of successful proposals focus on novel treatments and prognostic indicators for aggressive forms of prostate cancer—tumors that will recur, progress, and metastasize. While prostate cancer is 100% treatable if detected early, there is no cure for the ~20% of patients who develop advanced, metastatic disease.

Other YI projects address immunological approaches to prostate cancer and issues related to the emergence of treatment resistance.

Since 2008, PCF's YI Program has made 3-year investments in highly skilled individuals with the expertise to rapidly translate the latest scientific discoveries from bench to bedside. As part of the YI program, awardees are mentored by leaders in prostate cancer research. Each award is matched dollar-for-dollar by the investigator's institution.

The YI Program is inspired by the preeminent scientist Donald S. Coffey, PhD, the Prostate Cancer Research Director at Johns Hopkins University who for over four decades mentored and motivated some of the best and brightest minds in prostate cancer research.

While prostate cancer will affect 1 in 7 men in his lifetime, recent studies have indicated certain genetic similarities with breast, ovarian, and colon cancer. This means that research in prostate cancer is extraordinarily scalable, with the potential for new lifesaving treatments for other cancers.