Our Mission

Seed-funding scientists with great ideas to accelerate progress

The Facts

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed male cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.

300,000 men die from prostate cancer across the world, every year
1 in every 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime
Every 2.7 minutes a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer
Every 15 minutes a man dies from prostate cancer
Over 34,000 men die per year
Over 3.1 million people are living with the disease

What's the need?

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed male cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.

We urgently need to develop new and effective treatments for advanced prostate cancer, and to make sure that all patients have the information they need to make the right choices for them.

Globally, the funding of medical research into improved treatments has been minimal. Federal funding for prostate cancer research has accounted for, on average, only five percent of our nation’s annual cancer research budget. However, prostate cancer accounts for 19 percent of all cancer cases and eight percent of cancer deaths in men.

This is where PCR comes in. We are here to invest in the science, research and medical breakthroughs of the future, and to empower patients and their families to access the right information, have the right conversations, and get the best treatment for them.

Why us?

Our focus is on taking research from bench to bedside. In order to achieve this:

We help our researchers connect with patients so that they have a deeper understanding of patient’s needs and challenges
We help scientists build new collaborations and partnerships with other scientists
We monitor and evaluate our impact so that we ensure the effectiveness of our research and continue to improve our work in the future
Only by working in this way do we have a good chance of saving and improving lives.

PCR has recently embarked on a bold new chapter. In the last two years, we have doubled our grant expenditure and increased the number of projects we fund by 175%. We are not just scaling up the quantity of the research we fund; we are seed-funding scientists with great ideas to accelerate their progress.

What we have achieved so far

Bold science, backed by patients, that delivers.

Our teams of dedicated scientists are constantly taking great strides forward to improve our understanding of why cancer behaves as it does, and how we can stop it.

Some of their key achievements so far include the discovery of a potential way to make radiotherapy work more effectively and with fewer side effects. They invented a new technique to discover networks of on/off signals for cancer, which we hope to use to develop more treatments. Our researchers also started investigating how fat fuels prostate cancer, and using AI to predict whether or not a cancer needs treatment.

We are always working to provide resources to and empower patients. We have run national campaigns to empower patients to ask questions and get the right treatment for them, and to talk about and get support for the side effects of treatment.

We do all of this in honor of the men and families who have already been through things no family should have to go through, and to create a future where no one needs to fear a prostate cancer diagnosis.

Strategy for 2020-23

Our six core strategic goals will guide all of our decision making.

Our three-year strategic plan reaffirms PCR’s overarching vision and sets out six core strategic goals that will guide all of our decisions towards helping secure a better future for men and their families affected by prostate cancer. Our strategy aims to shift perspectives and combine scientific excellence with a patient-centric approach.

Strategy 2020-2023

Gold Standard

PCR aims to become the gold standard for research that has an impact on advanced prostate cancer. We are committed to being at the forefront of innovation and fostering scientific excellence and, to this end, we will actively seek out exceptional science proposed by outstanding scientists.

Leading Authority

To succeed in our mission, we need to further strengthen our credibility and reputation. We aim to be recognized as the leading authority on prostate cancer research among the research community, decision-makers and funders.

Form Partnerships

Looking out for and nurturing vibrant partnerships is part of the solution to speeding up the development of pioneering treatments for cancer patients in the US and worldwide. PCR will build bridges between the scientific community, government, pharmaceutical industry and people with prostate cancer.

Assembling Experts

We have assembled experts to advise us on all aspects of running a successful and robust research charity. We will continue to analyze and assess our skills and experience and fill gaps that may exist in our Scientific Advisory Committee, Executive Advisory Group and Board of Directors.

Continuous Learning

Our main objectives will be to foster a culture of continuous learning and to build a ‘shared’ sense of purpose and the autonomy to achieve goals. Capturing and preserving knowledge will also be critical to PCR’s organizational effectiveness and long-term success.

Sustainable Growth

We will take a dual approach of bidding for larger grants from government, trusts, companies and high-net-worth individuals, while also strategically investing funds to ensure we build up the type of flexible funding that comes from events and individual giving.

Our Values

Our culture is driven by four core values which are enshrined in our work ethic and serve as the lens through which we evaluate our decisions.

Innovation

We believe in ‘innovation’ as a mindset. We always start off our work with an open mind and are not afraid to challenge conventional views to drive innovation. We actively seek out and support good ideas from our staff and volunteers and scientists. That’s why PCR believes in investing in research that will yield long-term impact in quality of life for patients.

Collaboration

Through collaboration, we maximize our impact. We believe that the best results stem from bringing in a mix of perspectives, talents and experiences. Our ambition is to leverage the combined expertise of leading scientists for the greater good. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach will benefit all parties involved and ultimately advance cancer research.

Accountability

We promote accountability and collective responsibility. We want our team to feel they can make decisions that will maximize our impact. Likewise, our drive for continuous improvement ges hand in hand with our willingness to take collective responsibility for our own actions and with our commitment to transparency. This also includes own up to our failures and correcting them wherever possible.

Empathy

It is personal connections that bring our work to life. Our work starts and ends with people. We put patients first by listening to what matters to them. We talk in simple terms and endeavor to make science accessible to all. We believe in compassion and recognize that empathy ges a long way towards improving the quality of life of people with cancer.