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• The 2010 Event

Snowdon 500 Challenge – 21st & 22nd May 2011

Help us find a cure for prostate cancer

The Prostate Cancer Research Centre

The Prostate Cancer Research Centre (PCRC) is based at the Institute of Urology at University College London. It has a worldwide reputation for innovation and discovery in the field of prostate cancer research. Under the leadership of Professor John Masters the Research Centre employs 8 scientists and support staff and needs £1M each year to fund its highly respected research programme. 

Meeting the cost of carrying out that research is a constant challenge. In order to make the breakthroughs that will improve survival and save lives the Centre has to ensure that funds are in place now and in the future. 

The PCRC aims to develop novel treatments for advanced prostate cancer. It is focused on two areas of research:

1.    The spread of prostate cancer

2.    Prostate cancer stem cells

Prostate Cancer Spread

While prostate cancer is restricted to the prostate it can be cured with surgery or radiotherapy. Once it has spread beyond the prostate, however, it is hard to treat. It is crucial for PCRC to understand how and why the prostate cancer cells spread in order to be able to design treatments to delay or prevent this happening and kill any cells that have spread.

PCRC scientists have made an important breakthrough. They have discovered that a gene that helps to control cell movement is mutated frequently in prostate cancer. The team believes that the cancer cells have hi-jacked this gene to help them spread.

Money raised by Snowdon 500 is now being used to identify drugs that will target the mutation and hopefully stop or kill the cancer cells.

Prostate Cancer Stem Cells

Within every cancer there is a small number of stem cells that are responsible for the growth and progression of the cancer. If we can target and kill the cancer stem cells it may be possible to increase survival and maybe even cure some cancers. The goal is to develop prostate cancer stem cell therapy.

Money raised by the Snowdon 500 Challenge event is supporting the Matt Rannamets Clinical Research Fellow, working in the PCRC laboratory on stem cells and with clinical oncologist Dr Heather Payne (one of PCRC´s Trustees) at University College London Hospitals. The Fellowship is named in recognition of and in thanks to the contributions made by Matt Rannamets who devised and organises the annual Snowdon 500 Challenge. The clinical research fellow will help take the laboratory research to the bedside.

Scientific research into cancer is getting ever closer to finding life saving therapies and cures which will one day conquer this terrible disease, but it is a long and expensive crusade.

Video

Watch the video describing the work of PCRC and explaining their need for funding.