Understanding how prostate cancer cells change and become harder to treat
Official title: Targeting early events in prostate cancer lineage plasticity
Funded at University of Minnesota · NIH-10993102 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how prostate cancer cells change when treated with hormone-blocking therapies, which can make them harder to treat, and it aims to find new ways to stop or reverse these changes to help patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2022 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $455,926 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA270539-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-10993102 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are men diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer who are undergoing or have undergone androgen deprivation therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with early-stage prostate cancer or those who do not have advanced disease may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how prostate cancer cells adapt and change when treated with therapies that block male hormones, specifically focusing on a process called lineage plasticity. When prostate cancer cells become resistant to treatment, they can transform into different cell types that are more difficult to target with existing therapies. The study aims to uncover the biological mechanisms behind this transformation and to develop new treatment strategies that could prevent or reverse these changes. By analyzing the role of specific transcription factors in this process, the research hopes to identify potential therapeutic targets for patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to new treatment options for patients with advanced prostate cancer that has become resistant to current therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in understanding cancer cell plasticity, but this specific approach to targeting lineage plasticity in prostate cancer is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dehm, Scott M. — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Dehm, Scott M.
Related research
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Characterizing epigenetic targets in prostate cancer to help AR-driven cancer
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.
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AR and RNA-binding in prostate cancer resistance
A cancer research grant exploring how the androgen receptor’s interaction with RNA may drive treatment resistance in prostate cancer, with potential to guide new therapies.
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.