The University of Mississippi Medical Center Cancer Center and Research Institute received a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to examine the biological factors contributing to prostate cancer and racial disparities in outcomes.
The grant will help advance research on the mechanisms of prostate cancer development and therapeutic resistance and address longstanding health inequities, ultimately guiding the development of more effective and equitable treatment options.
“Disadvantaged minority populations bear the greatest burden of health disparities in the United States. While it is believed that inequities in access to health care are a major contributor, emerging data continues to support a biological basis for such disparities as well,” said principal investigator Dr. Ajay Singh, professor of cell and molecular biology and associate director of basic and translational research at CCRI.
Earlier studies from Singh’s group have identified a protein, MYB, that is abnormally expressed in prostate cancer at higher levels in tumors of Black patients. Research also found that MYB promotes prostate tumor growth and therapy resistance.
This DoD funded project will study how inflammatory signaling is involved in the induction of MYB, which then crosstalk with a stress-associated signaling pathway to promote resistance against currently available cancer therapies.
“Racial and ethnic minorities are exposed to a variety of socioeconomic and psychosocial stressors, which have serious consequences on their health,” Singh said. “These exposures affect their lifestyle choices in a way that creates systemic inflammation and hormonal imbalance, putting them at a higher risk of developing cancer as well as adversely affecting their treatment outcomes.”
Dr. Rodney Rocconi, director of the Cancer Center and Research Institute and Ergon Chair for Cancer Research, said it is his hope that by establishing these connections, the research will guide the development of novel intervention strategies to minimize disparity.
“The immense progress our researchers are making will ultimately enhance the Cancer Center’s ability to deliver advanced, equitable health care by improving the life expectancy and outcomes for Mississipians,” he said.
About the University of Mississippi Medical Center
As the state’s only academic medical center, UMMC seeks to improve the health of Mississippi’s population and eliminate health disparities through education, research and patient care. UMMC encompasses six health science schools of medicine, nursing, health related professions, dentistry, graduate studies and population health. The Medical Center includes the state’s only Level I trauma center, only children’s hospital, only organ and bone marrow transplant program and the only Telehealth Center of Excellence, one of two in the nation. For more information, visit www.umc.edu.
