Two RI-MUHC recipients set out to make new discoveries in prostate cancer research

Fourteen forward-thinking Canadian prostate cancer researchers have been rewarded for their innovation with Movember Discovery Grants, funded by the Movember Foundation through Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC). The winners were selected based on novel research projects that have the potential to make a significant difference in a number of areas across the spectrum of prostate cancer research. Each grant is worth up to $200,000. 

Dr. Armen Aprikian, MUHC’s urologist-in-chief and head of the Division of Urology at McGill University.

Dr. Alice Dragomir, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology at McGill University.

Our two RI-MUHC award winners are Dr. Alice Dragomir, an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology at McGill University, and Dr. Armen Aprikian, MUHC’s urologist-in-chief and head of the Division of Urology at McGill University.

Thanks to this grant, Drs. Dragomir and Aprikian, with their team, will perform a comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis of a number of new tests that have shown clinical promise in the areas of screening, diagnosis or treatment of prostate cancer, that are not routinely used in clinics either in Canada or abroad due to a lack of evidence around cost-effectiveness. By creating evidence regarding the cost-effectiveness of interventions, the team aims to inform decision-making and help increase access to new advances in prostate cancer detection and treatment. It is expected that the results of this study will improve clinical decisions, healthcare optimization, influence health policy decisions, as well as increase patient empowerment.

"While we continue to make important strides along the more well-established avenues in prostate cancer research, we must also continue to explore novel approaches,” explained Dr. Stuart Edmonds, PCC vice president of Research, Health Promotion and Survivorship. “With this new funding, we are generating new knowledge with the aim of uncovering new hope for the one in eight Canadian men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime."  

"The Canadian prostate cancer research community has made a significant global contribution to recent advances in prostate cancer treatment and care. Despite these advances, much work still remains to effectively distinguish between harmless and lethal prostate cancer, and to stop the progression of the disease. Through the Movember Discovery Grant program, we are confident that the novel approaches taken in these projects will make an important contribution over the coming years,” said Paul Villanti, executive director of Programs at the Movember Foundation.

Working out of a number of institutions across the country, this year’s recipients and their teams are collectively covering a breadth of areas, including new diagnostic biomarkers, treatment targets, and economic analyses. 

National press release: http://www.prostatecancer.ca