This SPORE application (P-50) is to support a highly interactive and multidisciplinary study at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions to impact on control of human prostate cancer. This SPORE involves 18 interactive components that can be categorized into: A.) Studies of the Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms in Human Prostate Cancer. 1.) Molecular genetic studies (W. Isaacs); 2.) Familial studies to identify genetic linkages (T. Beaty/P. Walsh/W. Isaacs); 3.) High resolution cytogenetic studies (C. Griffin); 4.) Molecular analysis of androgen receptor gene structure and function (E. Barrack); 5.) Molecular mechanisms in prostate cancer bone metastasis (H. Reddi); 6.) Studies of nuclear structure and DNA organization (D. Coffey). B. Early Human Prostate Cancer Detection and Prediction Studies: 7.) Identification of men at risk for prostate cancer (B. Carter/J. Fozard); 8.) Quantitative pathology to predict clinical outcome (J. Epstein); 9.) Identification of metastatic suppressor genes (J. Isaacs). C. Development of New Therapies. 10.) Identification of new topoisomerase drug targets (W. Nelson/L. Liu); 11.) Prostate cancer gene targeted immunotherapy in animal models (D. Pardoll/R. Mulligan); 12.) Gene transfer therapy in human prostate cancer cells (J. Simons/R. Mulligan); 13.) Development of new transgenic models of prostate cancer and prostate autoimmunity (D. Pardoll/W. Nelson); D. Development of Special Resources. 14.) New animal xenograft models of human prostate cancer (J. Isaacs); 15.) Establishment of a prostate cancer tissue and DNA bank (J. Epstein/W. Isaacs); 16.) Biostatistical core for prostate cancer studies (S. Piantadosi); 17.) Formation of a communication and education unit for the rapid national dissemination of research information on prostate cancer and for a national summer course on prostate research (D. Coffey). 18.) Pilot Project Development to a.) study viral aspects of prostate cancer (W. Burns) and b.) NMR spectroscopy studies of programmed cell death in prostate cancer (J. Glickson). These multidisciplinary programs extend from familial studies to employing new methods in gene therapy utilizing human prostate cancer cells in close collaboration with Dr. Richard Mulligan at MIT. These 18 components of the SPORE will focus primarily on human prostate cancer, differing from a Program Project Grant as each unit is designed to be both highly interactive and dependent on other programs within the SPORE. The program is designed to facilitate the rapid translation of these findings into the control of human prostate cancer.
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