DoD Prostate Cancer Exceptional Responders Award

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The PCRP Exceptional Responders Award (ERA) mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY15. This award supports a research effort conducted by leading prostate cancer researchers that specifically focuses on identifying and understanding predictors of disease outcomes in exceptional responders to prostate cancer therapies. Research projects proposed under the ERA can be either discovery or target-driven but must include an in-depth examination of outlier responses to prostate cancer therapy that will lead to significant improvements to the clinical management of prostate cancer. The research project should address overarching issues that have broad implications for the disease and risk management, such as risk factors at the individual level and systems level, treatment, toxicity, and dormancy. The research project should not focus merely on the study of specific molecular pathways or genes, but should be focused on identifying what is unique to exceptional responders, which may include biological, behavioral, or other lifestyle factors. It is expected that inclusion and exclusion criteria for identifying Exceptional Responders, including the specific type of therapy/therapies being addressed, will be clearly defined in the application. The PCRP encourages inclusion of any form of prostate cancer therapy that produces a disparate response in treated patients, although projects addressing exceptional responses to androgen deprivation therapies are particularly encouraged. All projects proposed for the ERA are required to address one of the PCRP overarching challenges and the PCRP focus area of Mechanisms of Resistance. However, it is expected that applications will address more than one focus area.

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