Objective Prostate cancer is among the leading tumor types in men in the Western world. The heterogeneity of prostate cancer provides difficulties in tumor classification and decision-making for therapies. The establishment of new biomarkers is essential to develop individual treatments and facilitate tumor categorization. Therapies include hormone deprivation, which initially leads to tumor regression, but is associated with a high rate of recurrence. Both genetic and epigenetic alterations have been found in prostate cancer. Especially overexpression of the Polycomb protein EZH2 has been associated with aggressive tumors and bad prognosis. Additionally, DNA methylation of various genes including tumor suppressors, hormone receptors or cell cycle regulators has been described. Here we aim to investigate epigenetic patterns in human prostate cancer tissues before and after hormone ablation therapy, to evaluate novel biomarkers and to identify novel target genes of epigenetic mechanisms. We intend to monitor changes in epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation and Polycomb protein occupancy in prostate cancers before and after hormone deprivation. Furthermore, we aim to test our previous results obtained in prostate cancer cell lines to learn more about the clinical significance of epigenetic mechanisms in prostate cancer. The use of epigenetic drugs, such as DNA methyltransferase inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors has been approved by the US food and drug administration for the treatment of specific hematological malignancies, and clinical trials have shown the beneficial effects for several tumor types. Thus, our study may elucidate novel molecular mechanisms of the disease and provide a rationale for the application of epigenetic drugs to target prostate cancer. Fields of science medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologyprostate cancernatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNAnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsepigenetics Keywords Cancer Research Epigenetics Health sciences Prostate Cancer Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) PEOPLE-2007-4-3.IRG - Marie Curie Action: "International Reintegration Grants" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-IRG - International Re-integration Grants (IRG) Coordinator MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN Address Spitalgasse 23 1090 Wien Austria See on map Region Ostösterreich Wien Wien Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Dontscho Kerjaschki (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window EU contribution No data
