Movember Funding Boost For Cancer Researchers

Scottish scientists trying to find a cure for cancer have been given a funding boost thanks to the charity event.

It's hoped Scottish research teams will be able to find new treatments for prostate cancer, thanks to charity funding.

Researchers from Heriot-Watt and Glasgow universities are to share a £350,000 boost in the search for prostate cancer answers.

The grants are part of a £2 million wave of Movember Foundation Project Grants and Pilot Awards announced by Prostate Cancer UK throughout Great Britain.

The Movember event sees men grow a variety of facial hair to help bring in the much needed cash.
 
The funds were awarded via a competitive process and were subject to detailed assessment from international experts and the Prostate Cancer UK Research Advisory Committee. All of the projects to receive funding were chosen because of their extremely high quality and relevance to men with prostate cancer.
 
Dr. Nicholas Leslie from Heriot-Watt University has received £300,000 for a 3 year study on how the loss of a protein called PTEN leads to aggressive prostate cancers. He said: "Almost half of aggressive prostate cancers develop following the loss of a protein called PTEN. We need to know why. Once we do, it could help us identify harmless from aggressive prostate cancers and speed up the development of drugs to successfully treat the latter. I'm delighted to have been given the opportunity to work on this exciting project, and thank Prostate Cancer UK and Movember for the funding allowing it to happen."
 
Prof. George Baillie from the University of Glasgow has received £50,000 for a 1 year study to investigate the role of the protein PDE4D7 in the development of prostate cancer. He said: "We know that the amount of a protein called PDE4D7 significantly differs between hormone responsive and hormone unresponsive prostate cancers. This protein binds to a number of other proteins. We want to investigate these links and see if we can use this information to develop a new strategy to halt the growth of the cancer cells.  This will identify potential targets for new treatments for advanced prostate cancer, and funding provided by Prostate Cancer UK and Movember will allow us to take one step closer to this goal."

Prostate Cancer UK's summer activities include everything from poker nights to golf, cycling, walking, climbing and even rock festivals. Find out here how to get involved: www.prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved