Dietary fats and prostate cancer: how metabolism drives castration resistance
Official title: Metabolism of dietary fatty acids promotes castration resistance in prostate cancer
Funded at University of Georgia · NIH-11444313 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study from the University of Georgia will explore whether fatty acids in our diet fuel prostate cancer that no longer responds to standard hormone therapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Georgia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Athens, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $587,112 |
| NIH project number | 1U01CA307238-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11444313 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are men with prostate cancer considering or receiving androgen deprivation therapy and who are able to participate in metabolic studies or related future trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not affected by prostate cancer or those unable to participate in metabolic studies may not benefit.
What this research studies
Prostate cancer often becomes resistant to androgen deprivation therapy, driving mortality. This project will look at how fatty acids and their conversion into fatty acyl-CoAs affect cancer cell metabolism and castration resistance. By studying a key metabolic enzyme that converts fatty acids into acyl-CoA forms, researchers aim to uncover mechanisms linking diet to disease progression. The work will use cellular and possibly animal models to understand how dietary fats influence tumor behavior under low-androgen conditions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to new dietary guidance or metabolic-targeted therapies to delay or overcome castration resistance in prostate cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies link high-fat diets to faster tumor progression in prostate cancer, suggesting feasibility of metabolic approaches, though the exact mechanism remains under study.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Georgia
Athens, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cai, Houjian — University of Georgia
- Study coordinator: Cai, Houjian
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.