Dr. Adam Weiner and Dr. Wayne Brisbane have been awarded the PCF Young Investigator Award to support their work in improving the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. They are among 28 researchers receiving awards totaling $6.1 million from the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Weiner, a urologic oncology fellow at UCLA Health, has received a three-year, $225,000 award to support research into personalized prostate cancer treatment. His work focuses on analyzing prostate-specific antigen levels measured by advanced PET imaging to match patients with the treatments most likely to succeed based on their individual cancer characteristics.
“Determining the best treatment plan for each patient from the start could greatly improve outcomes for prostate cancer,” Weiner said. “We are extremely grateful to PCF for supporting our search for tomorrow's precision medicine tools today.”
Brisbane, assistant professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will receive $75,000 over three years. He and his team are focusing on refining Micro-Ultrasound, a high-resolution and cost-effective method of identifying prostate cancer, to improve its specificity. They will also analyze the specificity and sensitivity of Micro-Ultrasound versus MRI.
“One of the unique aspects of our research is the investigation into the biological and molecular characteristics of tumors visible on both MRI and Micro-Ultrasound, compared to those visible by only one modality,” said Brisbane, a UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member. “This comparative approach may shed light on the distinct advantages and limitations of each diagnostic method.”
Read the full story about the PCF Young Investigator Awards on the medical school website.
