Prostate Cancer Foundation Launches Precision Medicine Initiative

May 28, 2021 - In collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs (VA) Health Care System, the Prostate Cancer Foundation will launch the Drew Foundation Precision Oncology Center of Excellence, providing precision medicine treatments to Veterans facing prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Veterans, with over 15,000 men in the VA system diagnosed yearly, according to a press release from the Prostate Cancer Foundation. One in eight men nationwide receive a prostate cancer diagnosis yearly, and one in seven Black men.

“PCF is committed to continuing to expand our partnership with the VA to advance cutting-edge research and care for Veterans with prostate cancer,” stated Jonathan W. Simons, MD, president and CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, in the press release.

“Partnering with the University of California, San Francisco brings top expertise to our precision oncology efforts serving our nation’s Veterans. UCSF researchers co-developed the latest FDA-approved PSMA-PET scan which zeroes in on prostate cancer that has spread through the body so it can be better targeted for treatment. It is our duty to ensure that no Veteran is left behind when such medical breakthroughs come to the clinic.”

Using precision medicine for cancer in particular is becoming more common. Physicians and researchers can use genomic data, environmental and lifestyle factors, and more to make informed treatment decisions for each patient. The Prostate Cancer Foundation states that “precision medicine is the key to ending deaths from prostate cancer. It is individualized, based on gene sequencing a patient’s tumor, allowing for custom-tailored treatment that targets an individual’s cancer by its unique biology and genetic signature.”

In other precision medicine news, the University of Virginia (UVA) school of Medicine announced on May 26th that its researchers have developed a new approach to genomics research that could aid in cancer treatment and prevention. The new approach analyzes the folding patterns of chromosomes in three dimensions and maps them using a computational method. This allows researchers to understand genome architecture and distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells.

"The folding pattern of the genome is highly dynamic; it changes frequently and differs from cell to cell. Our new method aims to link this dynamic pattern to the control of gene activities," explained Chongzhi Zang, PhD, one of the researchers and a computational biologist with UVA's Center for Public Health Genomics and UVA Cancer Center, in a press release.

"A better understanding of this link can help unravel the genetic cause of cancer and other diseases and can guide future drug development for precision medicine."

In April, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network launched Precision Promise, a clinical trial that will use precision medicine to investigate and improve pancreatic cancer drugs. Clinical trial participants will receive advanced treatment and researchers will use molecular profiling to provide precise care. In addition, a recent study used precision medicine to pinpoint specific genes that may lead to depression, as well as brain proteins that could be useful for developing new treatments for depression. Overall, precision medicine has shown extreme potential for predicting and treating some of the most common health conditions and diseases.