Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancers in North American men. Better understanding this disease has led to identification of specific genetic changes which produce a more aggressive subclass of prostate cancer. This has led to the development of targeted therapies that significantly improve patient survival. A recent landmark report identified a recurring genetic rearrangement called a 'translocation' that connected the testosterone responsive sequence of the gene TMPRSS2 onto Ets family genes, ERG, associated with several cancers. These translocations are associated with poor prognosis for prostate cancer patients and we have been shown that ERG is sufficient in the transformation of non-tumorigenic prostate cells. In our lab, we have demonstrated that ERG causes these cells to grow faster and makes them more capable of metastasizing. By better understanding the role of ERG in tumors and how it is able to alter hormone dependence and cell communication will teach us how ERG causes prostate cancer and hopefully how to treat patients with these translocations.