Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer killer in men, killing 93 men a day in the US. If breakthroughs are not made, it could kill over 120 men a day by 2035. Even though the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the US has shot up since the early 1990s, money being spent on prostate cancer research is decreasing. 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 is responsible for about 19 percent of all cancer cases and eight percent of cancer deaths in men. Our new grants will significantly increase the amount of money spent on prostate cancer research. Between these new projects and our existing projects, we’ve committed to spending at least $5 million on prostate cancer research in the next few years.

In 2019, we don’t know enough about prostate cancer to predict how aggressive a man’s prostate cancer will be, what treatment will work best for him, or even if he needs to be treated at all.

We believe that if there were more treatment options, and we understood cancer better, men could receive treatments which were more tailored to the cancer they have and less “one size fits all.” We also need to find treatments that are better at attacking cancer, with less side effects.

Our new projects are tackling the problem of how to personalize treatment in different ways. Following an incredibly tough selection process, including a detailed application form, review by prostate cancer patients, a number of scientific experts, and character references, we’re delighted to announce we’re funding seven new research teams in six locations.