Top European award’s first trip to Ireland

Dr Sarfraz Ahmad of Cork Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) at UCC has been awarded the Prize for the Best paper Published on Fundamental Research, the first time that this award has been conferred on a researcher in Ireland. The award was in recognition of the importance and quality of his excellent scientific work, published in urological literature in the year 2009 by the European Association of Urology (EAU) at its recent 25th Anniversary EAU Congress. Dr Ahmad’s received the award for his research titled Prostate stem cell antigen DNA vaccination breaks tolerance to self-antigen and inhibits prostate cancer growth, published by The American Society of Gene Therapy in Molecular Therapy.

Prostate cancer is known to have a number of molecules (antigens) specifically associated with malignant cells (eg. PSA, PSMA). These antigens can up-regulate the immune system to target and destroy cells displaying these molecules. The CCRC has developed a DNA vaccination strategy involving administration of prostate antigen DNA to muscle by electric pulses. This strategy has been shown to eliminate or reduce prostate tumours in preclinical models. This research offers a strategy to target any prostate cancer cells which may have already disseminated through the body pre-surgical intervention and has now been designated for development for human clinical trial.