Defining the mechanism and therapeutic targets of lncRNAs in castration resistant prostate cancer

Currently, lowering hormone levels through androgen deprivation therapy is the initial treatment for men with metastatic prostate cancer. Nearly all men eventually develop progressive disease following this therapy, referred to as castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Recently, we found 131 novel intergenic non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to be involved in prostate tumor development and progression to castrate-resistant prostate cancer that we refer to as prostate cancer associated transcripts (PCATs). We will use genomics, bioinformatics, and cancer biology to discover which lncRNAs are involved and to investigate how they control tumor development and promote castrate-resistant prostate cancer. We hope that lncRNAs can serve as valuable biomarkers and allow us to therapeutically target specific patient populations, allowing us to better care for individual patients.