Pilot Award Program
Pilot funds have provided the investigators, and those throughout the Philadelphia region, with critical funding so they may continue their research and advance progress towards finding a cure for prostate cancer. There are a number of projects that would not be possible without this funding.
To further support investigators in making advancements against prostate cancer, the PPCBP has opened a Pilot Award Program in which new applications will be reviewed and awarded on a regular basis. PPCBP leadership feels this will provide the best opportunity for researchers to receive much needed funding for promising prostate cancer pilot projects as we work towards better treatment options for men with prostate cancer.
2019 Pilot Award Recipients
Karen Bussard, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Biology
Karen Bussard, PhD, is investigating two different types of osteoblasts in the bone; one of which can reduce cancer cell growth in the bone. The focus of this research project is to better understand the role of newly-discovered osteoblasts and determine how they exert their anti-tumor effects. Dr. Bussard’s research utilizes prostate cancer samples stored within the SKCC Biorepository. Her research is novel and could create a vital pathway for future therapies.
Thenappan Chandrasekar, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Urology; Director, Abington – Jefferson Health Urology
Sushil Kumar Tripathi, PhD, and Thenappan Chandrasekar, MD, are developing a simple and affordable test that uses only voided urine to diagnose prostate cancer. The test uses a simple molecule designed in their laboratory. This test is completely harmless to the patient, affordable, and takes only a short time to perform. The support of the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project will allow their lab to continue studies to validate the test. Dr Tripathi and Dr. Chandrasekar's long term goal is to have the test approved by the FDA and make it available as a diagnostic and screening tool to every man, not just in the USA, but the rest of the world as well. Dr. Thakur, a key collaborator in this project, has recently been awarded an R01 grant. This five-year NIH grant—in association with urologists Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS, and Edouard Trabulsi, MD—will substantiate preliminary data and allow the researchers to assess the ability of the diagnostic to not only determine the absence or presence of prostate cancer, but also determine the severity in those who have it.
Adam P. Dicker, MD, PhD, FASTRO, FASCO Enterprise Senior Vice President; Professor and Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology; Director, Jefferson Center for Digital Health
Nathan Handley, MD, MBA and Adam P. Dicker, MD, PhD, FASTRO, FASCO are investigating the impact of digital health coaching on men with prostate cancer throughout the greater Philadelphia area. Patients take on significant responsibility for managing their cancer and would benefit from more tools to help them better manage treatment and symptoms. To help patients manage their care, Dr. Handley and Dr. Dicker are developing a digital health tool. Digital health coaching—a way to provide personalized, virtual guidance for patients during their cancer treatment—is an exciting opportunity to transform the patient experience of cancer treatment without making it harder for either the patient or the care team. This research could change the paradigm for all cancer care.
Josep Domingo-Domenech, PhD, MD Associate Professor, Medical Oncology and Cancer Biology; Prostate Cancer Program Leader
Josep Domingo-Domenech, PhD, MD, is identifying the mechanisms that cause and advance prostate cancer, which will help target those mechanisms with potential future therapies. The lab is researching the role of the GATA2 signaling network in lethal prostate cancer. GATA2 has a key role in driving prostate cancer aggressiveness. The research conducted in this laboratory is dependent upon biospecimens from the SKCC Biorepository, which is sponsored in part by the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project and has led to Dr. Domingo-Domenech earning an NIH R01 grant, a highly sought-after award that will help to advance this key research.
Nathan Handley, MD, MBA Assistant Professor, Medical Oncology
Nathan Handley, MD, MBA and Adam P. Dicker, MD, PhD, FASTRO, FASCO are investigating the impact of digital health coaching on men with prostate cancer throughout the greater Philadelphia area. Patients take on significant responsibility for managing their cancer and would benefit from more tools to help them better manage treatment and symptoms. To help patients manage their care, Dr. Handley and Dr. Dicker are developing a digital health tool. Digital health coaching—a way to provide personalized, virtual guidance for patients during their cancer treatment—is an exciting opportunity to transform the patient experience of cancer treatment without making it harder for either the patient or the care team. This research could change the paradigm for all cancer care.
Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Biology
Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo, PhD, is investigating how aggressive tumors adapt and survive with high levels of chromosomal defects in order to find molecular vulnerabilities for therapeutic targeting. The research conducted in this laboratory is dependent upon biospecimens from the SKCC Biorepository, which is sponsored in part by the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project. The Rodriguez-Bravo lab has been awarded an extremely impressive NIH R01 grant. The five-year R01 grant helps the lab continue to conduct impactful research, potentially developing several Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project projects over time.
Matt Schiewer, PhD Assistant Professor, Departments of Urology and Cancer Biology
Matt Schiewer, PhD, is conducting research that has the potential to impact patients with advanced prostate cancer—including those for whom first-line hormone therapy has stopped working. His basic and translational research is driven to better understand the molecular underpinnings of response and resistance to PARPi, with the ultimate goal of discovering more effective clinical uses for PARPi. Dr. Schiewer, a promising early stage investigator, is grateful for PPCBP, which helps to fill funding gaps for researchers at the beginning of their careers, as there are limited federal funding opportunities for early stage investigators.
Sushil Kumar Tripathi, PhD Research Associate, Laboratory of Radiopharmaceutical Research and MI, Department of Radiology
Sushil Kumar Tripathi, PhD, and Thenappan Chandrasekar, MD, are developing a simple and affordable test that uses only voided urine to diagnose prostate cancer. The test uses a simple molecule designed in their laboratory. This test is completely harmless to the patient, affordable, and takes only a short time to perform. The support of the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project will allow their lab to continue studies to validate the test. Dr Tripathi and Dr. Chandrasekar's long term goal is to have the test approved by the FDA and make it available as a diagnostic and screening tool to every man, not just in the USA, but the rest of the world as well. Dr. Thakur, a key collaborator in this project, has recently been awarded an R01 grant. This five-year NIH grant—in association with urologists Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS, and Edouard Trabulsi, MD—will substantiate preliminary data and allow the researchers to assess the ability of the diagnostic to not only determine the absence or presence of prostate cancer, but also determine the severity in those who have it.
Contact Shannon Fields
Shannon is the Project Manager of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Translational Research Group and the coordinator of the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project. She is also an MBA candidate here at Thomas Jefferson University. With just over 4 years at Jefferson Health, Shannon enjoys being part of the fight against cancer and working with innovative investigators, grateful patients, and renowned physicians.