> Our Work > The Work We Fund

2025 CRIS Cancer Foundation – PCF Young Investigator Award

Harnessing PARP-Targeting Radiotheranostics to Advance Treatment Strategies in Prostate Cancer

Chung Ying (Kathy) Chan, PhD       
Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)

Mentors: Johann de Bono, Jason Lewis

Description:

  • PARP protein overexpression is commonly observed in advanced prostate cancer, including metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), making the development of PARP-targeting radionuclide therapy (PARP-TRT) an innovative precision medicine approach. Radionuclide therapy is a type of emerging treatment which combine a molecule that bind to targets such as PARP in tumor cells, with a radiation-emitting isotope, bringing lethal DNA-damaging radiation directly to tumor cells.
  • Dr. Chung Ying (Kathy) Chan and team are developing novel PARP-targeting radionuclide therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer.
  • In this project, Dr. Chan and team will evaluate and compare the efficacy of potential PARP-targeting radionuclide therapies that emit beta particles (177Lu), Auger-electrons (67Ga) or both (161Tb) in preclinical prostate cancer models.
  • Because radiation therapy is thought to enable activation of anti-tumor immune that contributes to its efficacy, the team will also characterize the radiobiological effects and molecular mechanisms underlying the immune response associated with various PARP-targeting radionuclides, which will help inform and guide potential synergistic partnerships involving PARP-TRT and immunotherapy to improve overall treatment efficacy.
  • The findings from this project will enhance the understanding of efficacy, radiobiology and immune response to PARP-TRT, as defined by the capabilities of different therapeutic radionuclides. This will facilitate the rational design of future clinical trials to better treat and manage patients with advanced prostate cancer.

What this means to patients: Advanced prostate cancer is a tough-to-treat disease, and new treatment approaches are urgently needed. Dr. Chan’s project will investigate the efficacy and biological impact of PARP-targeting radionuclide therapies in relevant preclinical models. This work has a strong potential to lead to the fast-tracking of new, effective therapeutic methods that benefits many men in the near future.