Fans for the Cure Partners with the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project to Accelerate Prostate Cancer Research

An estimated one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, with nearly 175,000 new cases expected in 2019. Stats like these are what drive our mission at Fans for the

Cure: to save men’s lives by promoting awareness around prostate cancer, testing and treatment, and by supporting prostate cancer research. As part of these efforts, we are serving as an Advocacy Partner for the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project (MPCP) — a nationwide genomic research initiative designed for men with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer. And we couldn’t be more excited about the partnership and what MPCP is doing to advance prostate cancer research.

This cutting-edge project, which is being conducted at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, takes a new approach to genomic research by working directly with men with advanced and metastatic prostate cancer to accelerate important discoveries. The goal of MCPC is to create the most comprehensive prostate cancer database that will be shared with the entire research community and enable scientists to look at patient-provided, de-identified data, tumor samples, clinical information and more — allowing for more exhaustive research into prostate cancer and its treatment.

A NEW FRONTIER FOR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH

Like all cancers, prostate cancer is not a singular disease with one cause and one treatment. Each tumor, each patient holds a piece of the puzzle. MPCP seeks to gather as many pieces of this puzzle by inviting men around the country to anonymously share their tissues and medical information directly with researchers who are looking for more targeted therapies. So, regardless of your location, if you have advanced or metastatic prostate cancer or a history of advanced or metastatic prostate cancer, you can participate in research for better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

Leading the MPCP charge is Eliezer Van Allen, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and associate member of the Broad Institute specializing in computational cancer genomics and personalized cancer therapeutics. “What makes the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project so exciting is how accessible it is for patients and, as a result, how fruitful it can be for researchers,” Van Allen said. “Prostate cancer is more common than many people realize, and yet few men have had the ability to contribute their tumor samples and clinical data to research, largely because they did not have a way of doing so — until now.” Since MPCP’s launch in early 2018, more than 633 men and counting are participating in the project.

^{Dr. Eliezer Van Allen and the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project / Count Me In team}

GET COUNTED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

“Participating in MPCP is an extraordinary opportunity for men with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer to make a profound contribution in the fight against prostate cancer,” said Ed Randall, Founder and CEO of Fans for the Cure. “With its patient-driven focus and use of big data, MPCP is a game-changing initiative that will lead to a deeper understanding of prostate

cancer and significant benefits for men and the families that love them.”

The project is associated with Count Me In, a nonprofit organization that is changing the future of cancer by bringing together researchers and patients living with all major and rare cancer types. Count Me In and the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project are funded in part by the Biden Cancer Initiative and Emerson Collective. Fans for the Cure will be sharing more exciting news about the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project in the months ahead. In the meantime, GET COUNTED!

UPDATE: The Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project has released their first research dataset!

Learn more.

^{Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project / Count Me In kits}