Low vitamin D and megalin may raise prostate hormones and aggressive cancer risk in men of African ancestry
Official title: Men of African Ancestry are primed for aggressive prostate cancer by high prostate androgens driven by vitamin D deficiency and megalin
Funded at University of Illinois at Chicago · NIH-11321621 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether low vitamin D increases prostate dihydrotestosterone through megalin and raises aggressive prostate cancer risk in men of African ancestry.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | May 8, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $367,647 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA290811-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11321621 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be men of African ancestry, particularly those with prostate cancer or those undergoing prostate biopsy or surgery who can provide tissue or blood samples.
✕Less likely to help
Men without prostate disease, those not of African ancestry, or those unwilling to provide clinical samples are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you are a man of African ancestry with prostate concerns, researchers will examine prostate tissue, patient-derived models, and clinical samples to follow local hormone levels inside the prostate. The team will combine laboratory experiments in mouse models and analyses of human samples to see how vitamin D status and the protein megalin change tissue testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. By comparing samples from different vitamin D states, they aim to explain why vitamin D deficiency may be linked to more aggressive prostate cancer. Results could point to ways to prevent or treat aggressive disease by targeting vitamin D pathways or megalin.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to vitamin D–related prevention strategies or new targets to reduce aggressive prostate cancer in men of African ancestry.
How similar studies have gone: Previous laboratory and clinical studies have linked low vitamin D to higher prostate androgens and more aggressive cancer, and this project builds on preliminary data but applies a new focus on megalin that requires further testing.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nonn, Larisa — University of Illinois at Chicago
- Study coordinator: Nonn, Larisa
Related research
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A research project at MD Anderson aims to understand how epigenetic factors shape androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer to find new ways to treat resistant forms of the disease.
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.