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The Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada has announced the award of over $1.2 million to Canadian researchers actively investigating the causes, cure, treatment and prevention of prostate cancer — the most common cancer in Canadian men. Three of the 14 recipients of this funding are investigators at the Research Institute of the Â鶹AV Health Centre (MUHC).

"The MUHC is proud to support the research goals of the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada," says Dr. Emil Skamene, scientific director of the Research Institute of the MUHC. "Prostate cancer is one of the many research priorities under investigation by the Institute's scientists."

"The Foundation is thrilled that we can support the brightest prostate cancer researchers across this country," says John Blanchard, president & CEO of the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation. "Prostate cancer requires more attention from the scientific community and the public at large, and this funding will help raise its profile and make further inroads into our understanding of prostate cancer."

The MUHC would like to congratulate Dr. Chevalier, Dr. Chevrette and Dr. Rabbani on their groundbreaking research.

Dr. Simone Chevalier
The treatment of advanced prostate cancer with hormonal therapy is initially successful in most cases. However, following a variable period of remission, most men will relapse and develop a progressive disease. This process is thought to be due to the presence of cells within the tumor, which are not dependent on male hormones for survival. These tumor cells have developed novel survival strategies, allowing them to survive and grow. Dr. Chevalier has discovered that prostate cancer cells, particularly hormone-resistant cells, contain high levels of an enzyme, Fer, which confers a survival advantage. Dr. Chevalier has also shown that manipulating the levels and distribution of this enzyme can restore sensitivity of these cells to radiation. This new project will build on this work and hopefully allow for a novel therapeutic strategy in men with advanced prostate cancer. Dr. Chevalier is an Associate Professor of Urology in the Department of Surgery at Â鶹AV.

Dr. Mario Chevrette
The processes by which prostate cancer changes from a slow-growing, relatively innocent process to a more rapid, progressive and aggressive disease are poorly understood. It is believed that alteration in levels of specific genes play a central role. This is because genes are the molecules that control and co-ordinate rates of cell growth. Dr. Chevrette has previously shown that certain groups of genes on chromosome 18 can inhibit the ability of human prostate cancer cells to metastasize or spread. He now hopes to identify and replicate these individual genes, and in so doing, aims to determine the mechanisms by which this gene is inactivated in prostate cancer. Knowledge of these mechanisms may lead to the development of targeted strategies to prevent onset and delay progression of the disease. Dr. Chevrette is an Assistant Professor of Urology in the Department of Surgery at Â鶹AV.

Dr. Shafaat Rabbani
Cells that are damaged in any way are flagged for destruction and removal from the body by a process known as methylation. This allows the body to control and prevent growth of these abnormal cells. Tumors occur when cells proliferate in an uncontrolled manner and one of the processes thought to be responsible is abnormal methylation. Dr. Rabbani will attempt to restore the normal methylation pattern to prostate cancer cells. By so doing he hopes to be able to reverse the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread, particularly within bones. His ultimate goal is to design new therapeutic approaches to block the spread of prostate cancer to the bones – the main cause of prostate cancer-related symptoms and complications. Dr. Rabbani is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at Â鶹AV.

The Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada is the leading national organization dedicated to a future where men no longer die from prostate cancer. Its mission is to raise funds for research into the prevention, treatment and cure of prostate cancer by engaging Canadians through awareness, education and advocacy. For more information please visit .

The Research Institute of the Â鶹AV Health Centre (RI MUHC) is a world-renowned biomedical and healthcare hospital research centre. Located in Montreal, Quebec, the institute is the research arm of the MUHC, a university health centre affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at Â鶹AV. The institute supports over 500 researchers, nearly 1,000 graduate and postdoctoral students, and operates more than 300 laboratories devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental and clinical research. The Research Institute operates at the forefront of knowledge, innovation and technology and is inextricably linked to the clinical programs of the MUHC, ensuring that patients benefit directly from the latest research-based knowledge. For further details visit www.muhc.ca/research.