Funding Opportunities

The Prostate Cancer Foundation champions human capital investment to fast-forward solutions to prostate cancer. We launched the Young Investigator Awards with the philosophy that “the greatest return on medical research investments comes from grants to young doctors and scientists whose greatest work is yet to come.” In 2005, PCF set out to fund 100 Young Investigators, known as the “PCF 100.” In 2013, we have reached our goal and funded over 120 young researchers in 9 different countries, including China.

The PCF China Young Investigator Awards will be 3 years in duration and will provide $37,500 per year per awardee. The award funds may be used flexibly to advance the career and research efforts of the awardee. This, for example, includes funding “protected time” or direct costs for experiments. Mentorship is required for every PCF Young Investigator applicant and grantee. Young Investigator awardees and their Mentors are required to attend the annual PCF Scientific Retreat in the United States in October.

Advantages

  • Competitive and straightforward application process
    • Research proposal of 10 pages or fewer
    • Decision within 60 days; funding within 90 days
  • Dedicated mentorship that often lasts beyond the 3-year funding period
  • Invitation to the annual PCF Scientific Retreat, the world’s leading annual scientific gathering focused on the prevention, treatment, and cure of prostate cancer
    • More than 400 leading prostate cancer research scientists, biopharmaceutical executives and government policy makers in attendance
    • Privileged opportunity to collaborate via the PCF Knowledge Exchange, a core PCF asset

Awardees

In March 2012, PCF China selected and awarded the inaugural class of PCF China Young Investigators: Dr. Shancheng Ren, MD, PhD, Shanghai Changhai Hospital (Mentor: Yinghao Sun, MD, PhD) and Dr. Yuxi Zhang, MD, PhD, The First Hospital of China Medical University (Mentor: Chuize Kong, MD, PhD).

In April 2013, PCF China selected and awarded the second class of PCF China Young Investigators: Dr. Hao Hu, MD, MBBS, People’s Hospital, Peking University (Mentor: Kexin Xu, MD, MBBS and Xiaofeng Wang, MBBS) and Dr. Lu Yang, MD, West China Hospital, Sichuan University (Mentor: Qiang Wei, MD and Tianyong Fan, MD).

Please provide us with your contact information so we can notify you when the 2014 PCF China Young Investigator Awards application is available.

 
 

Young Investigators

 
 
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The Shmuel Meitar – PCF China Young Investigator Award

Shancheng Ren, MD, PhD

SHANGHAI CHANGHAI HOSPITAL
Mentor: Yinghao Sun, MD, PhD


Proposal Title: The role of recurrent gene fusion SDK1-AMACR in prostate cancer

  • Gene fusions are the erroneous juxtaposition of two genes that do not normally lie next to each other on the genome. As a result of this abnormal placement of two genes, their expression is altered and this may lead to the development and progression of cancer.
  • Dr. Shancheng Ren has identified a novel gene fusion in prostate cancer patients in China that results in the juxtaposition of the SDK1 and the AMACR genes.
  • Dr. Ren proposes to study the relative prevalence and clinical significance of this SDK1-AMACR gene fusion in Chinese PCa patients. These studies will therefore help in the molecular subtyping of Chinese PCa patients in terms of their clinico-pathologic features, clinical outcome as well as response to therapy.
  • Dr. Ren also proposes to investigate the SDK1-AMACR gene fusion as a novel, non-invasive marker for the detection of prostate cancer in Chinese patients.
  • He will evaluate the role of this gene fusion in prostate cancer initiation and progression. These studies will lay the foundation for the potential development of the SDK1-AMACR gene fusion as a therapeutic target and the development of new drugs for patients.

What this means for patients: Dr. Ren has identified a novel gene fusion in Chinese prostate cancer patients, the SDK1-AMACR gene fusion. He proposes to study the ramifications of this gene fusion in terms of its role in prostate cancer initiation and progression. These studies will lay the groundwork for the use of the SDK1-AMACR gene fusion for prostate cancer detection and therapeutic targeting.

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Shmuel Meitar – PCF China Young Investigator Award

Yuxi Zhang, MD, PhD

THE FIRST HOSPITAL OF CHINA MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
Mentor: Chuize Kong, MD, PhD

Proposal Title: The role of prostate cancer stem cell regulated by microRNA in the formation of androgen-independent prostate cancer

  • Researchers recently identified prostate cancer-specific stem cells (PrCSC) that are proposed to play a major role in the development of treatment resistance and progression of prostate cancer.
  • In a previous study, Dr. Zhang has identified a sub-population of PrCSCs that increase in numbers upon androgen deprivation therapy. He observed that this specific sub-population of stem cells decreased when the castration-resistant tumors were treated with androgens and a different PrCSC subset became more prominent in the tumors.
  • Based on these findings, Dr. Zhang proposes that there are two different sub-populations of stem cells that arise during prostate cancer progression from the androgen-dependent stage to castration-resistance. Dr. Zhang proposes a transition of one type of PrCSC from one type to another during the progression of the disease. He proposes to study the individual populations of stem cells and the genes that govern their development.
  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are nucleic acids that regulate gene expression. Dr. Zhang proposes to identify the specific miRNAs that regulate the transformation of androgen-dependent prostate stem cells to androgen-independent stem cells. These studies proposed by Dr. Zhang may provide validation for miRNAs as potential targets for therapy against the development of androgen-independent prostate cancer and the identification of new therapeutics for patients.

What this means for patients: Dr. Zhang proposes to study prostate cancer-specific stem cells that lead to the development of disease progression and treatment-resistance. These studies will help in the identification of potential drug targets that prevent CRPC development.

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Stanley Zax – PCF China Young Investigator Award

Hao Hu, MD, MBBS

PEOPLE'S HOSPITAL, PEKING UNIVERSITY
Mentors: Kexin Xu, MD, MBBS and Xiaofeng Wang, MBBS

Proposal: Functional roles of EMI1 and mechanism involved in the advanced progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer

  • Understanding mechanisms of prostate cancer initiation and progression represents and unmet medical need.
  • Dr. Hao Hu and his team have identified the protein EMI1 (Early Mitotic Inhibitor 1) as playing a critical role in disease development and progression by interacting with the driver of prostate cancer, the androgen receptor (AR).
  • In this proposal, Dr. Hu proposes to study the role of EMI1 in the transition of prostate cancer to castration-resistance. He plans to examine EMI1 expression in prostate cancer patient specimens.
  • Inactivation of EMI1 may be a therapeutic strategy against the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer.

What this means to patients:  Understanding mechanisms that lead to the progression of prostate cancer to castration-resistance should lead to improved therapy for treatment resistant patients with advanced, metastatic prostate cancer.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Lu-Yang.jpg

The Stanley Zax – PCF China Young Investigator Award

Lu Yang, MD

WEST CHINA HOSPITAL, SICHUAN UNIVERSITY
Mentor: Qiang Wei, MD and Tianyong Fan, MD

Proposal: A clinical and basic study of anti-inflammatory therapy for preventing the occurrence of prostate cancer and the transformation to castration-resistant prostate cancer

  • Accumulating evidence suggests a link between inflammation and the initiation of prostate cancer. Inflammation is also linked to the progression of the disease to treatment resistance.
  • Dr. Lu Yang proposes to conduct four Phase I clinical studies to investigate the effects of anti-inflammatory agents such as NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) e.g. aspirin on prostate tumorigenesis and progression.
  • Dr. Yang will also elucidate the precise molecular mechanism behind the effectiveness of these anti-inflammatory agents in preventing disease progression.

What this means to patients:  The role of chronic inflammation in promoting cancer initiation and progression will be evaluated. Dr. Yang will also study the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory agents in preventing the development of treatment-resistant prostate cancer.