Astellas European Foundation award winners identify key prostate cancer genes

Chertsey, England (ots/PRNewswire) -

Institut Bergonié researchers identify six genes with potential to
play

significant role in fight against high grade form of disease

Just four years after receiving an Astellas European Foundation
Urology Prize Fund Award, researchers at France's Institut Bergonié
have achieved their goal of identifying new gene targets that could
be used for the development of alternative strategies to treat
prostate cancer. Focusing on the difficult to treat 'high grade' form
of the cancer, the team received the award to support work which they
hope will pave the way for novel therapies to tackle the disease. By
identifying correlations between gene expression and cellular
response to different drugs, the researchers - led by Dr Nadine
Houédé - were able to establish that six genes may have an important
role to play in the sensitivity of high grade prostate tumours to
anti-cancer drugs from the platinum derivatives family.

Many other correlations were also identified and are awaiting
further validation in prostate cancer cell lines models in order to
envisage their potential use in the clinic.

"With the help of the Astellas European Foundation Urology Grant
2012, it was possible for us to obtain a proof of concept that it is
possible to identify new alternatives to existing treatments for high
grade prostate cancers based on the specific genetic background of
these highly aggressive tumours. Moreover our results may contribute
to a better understanding of the mechanism of action of anti-cancer
drugs and to the development of more efficient therapies. Our team's
results were published in the December issue of Molecular
Pharmacology. We finally were able to bring the proof of concept that
this is a rational approach that could predict cell response to drugs
based on the expression levels of genes that are characteristic from
the tumour type studied," said Phillipe Pourquier, co-investigator at
INSERM, France.

"High grade prostate cancer is a devastating condition for which
new treatment options are urgently needed", said Ken Jones, Trustee
of the Astellas European Foundation and President and CEO of Astellas
Pharma Europe Ltd. "We are delighted that Dr Houédé and her team have
been able to achieve their goal of identifying key genes in this very
important area. This type of scientific research is absolutely vital
to the development of new approaches to treating cancers, and
enabling scientists from across Europe to make progress in this work
is exactly what the Awards were set up to do."

The Astellas European Foundation now offers annual Grants of
$150,000 for Uro-Oncology, to be given in autumn this year, and for
Functional Urology and Uro-Gynaecology given during the EAU congress
in the spring. The grants of US$150,000 are available to a successful
research unit or institution. For further information please contact
aef@astellas.com or call +44-203 379 8039.

Notes to Editors

About The Astellas European Foundation

The Astellas European Foundation is a registered charity, formed
in 2005, with the long-term goal of providing support for programmes
and activities that contribute to the advancement of an increasingly
healthy society. In line with this aim, the Foundation made
substantial donations to global charities. The Astellas European
Foundation also supports Astellas employees in their private
fundraising efforts for charitable causes. The Astellas European
Foundation is registered with the Charity Commission for England and
Wales, number 1036344.

The Astellas European Foundation was established by funding from
Astellas Pharma Inc, but operates independently of it.

APEL/13/006/EU

July 2013

ots Originaltext: Astellas European Foundation
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For further information, please contact:
Joe Barker, Astellas European Foundation,
Tel: +44 (0) 203 379 8039, Email: joe.barker@astellas.com