Kothari, Ross Named Eisenberg Scholars
Vishal Kothari, PhD, and Ashley Ross, MD, PhD, have been named George M. Eisenberg Foundation Scholars by the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute.
First awarded in 2017 following a gift from the George M. Eisenberg Foundation for Charities, Eisenberg Scholars explore the most provocative and novel research directions in the field of translational medicine.
“With support from the George M. Eisenberg Foundation for Charities, Northwestern investigators continue to further research and scientific discoveries that will save lives and improve health,” says NUCATS Director Richard D’Aquila, MD, the Howard Taylor Ricketts, MD, Professor of Medicine. “On behalf of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, we thank the Eisenberg Foundation for its longstanding partnership.”
Kothari, a research assistant professor of Urology, will work to identify prostate cancer patients who do not respond to androgen-deprivation therapy, a popular treatment. If Kothari can identify patients whose cancer is most likely to evade androgen-deprivation therapy, the research team can begin to identify and characterize effective therapeutic targets for this population.
Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in men, and an estimated 15 percent of men with metastatic (advanced) prostate cancer have mutations in their inherited DNA that has predisposed them to developing the disease.
By analyzing the gene expression data from nearly 20,000 prostate cancer patients with localized disease, Kothari was part of a research team that previously identified a novel class of prostate cancer characterized by low androgen receptor activity, increased metastasis, and a faster development of resistance to androgen-deprivation therapy. In identifying this subtype of aggressive prostate cancer, the research team next sought to identify, characterize, and target the gene that promotes its progression.
This project will explore that gene (NFATc4) in an attempt to understand how it imparts aggressiveness to low androgen receptor prostate cancer. The data obtained are expected to be critical in providing a strong rationale for developing an effective therapy directed at target gene NFATc4.
"As a young investigator, being chosen as a recipient of the prestigious, highly competitive Eisenberg Award is extremely encouraging, especially during this tough time of COVID-19,” says Kothari. “This award provides me a strong platform to generate impactful data for NIH funding, and I am confident that the support of the Eisenberg Foundation will be instrumental in my NIH applications in the immediate future. I am truly thankful to the Eisenberg Foundation for supporting my efforts."
Kothari’s collaborators include Edward Schaeffer, MD, PhD, chair of Urology. Ross, an associate professor of Urology and community co-principal investigator, will be joined by mentoring co-principal investigator C. Hendricks Brown, PhD, a professor of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences and Medical Social Sciences, to lead a project that seeks to identify strategies to increase rates of genetic testing among men with advanced prostate cancer. Increases in the utilization of genetic testing for men in this population may improve survival rates through personalized treatment and the identification of family members who may benefit from earlier and more frequent prostate cancer screening.
The study will be the first to define the landscape of genetic testing practices among men with metastatic prostate cancer since widespread endorsement of this practice by national guidelines and professional societies. Further it will be the first to report on attitudes towards prostate cancer genetic testing, with a goal using this information to increase utilization.
"As important discoveries are occurring at an accelerated pace, strategies to broadly implement new technologies and practices need to be developed. In some cases, even a preliminary understanding of the landscape of current clinical practice is lacking," says Ross, a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. "Pilot grants, like that made possible by the George M. Eisenberg Foundation and the NUCATS Institute, allow our group to establish a critical basis of knowledge to then correctly frame a larger study for the widespread implementation of genetic testing in men with advanced prostate cancer."
Ross' study collaborators include Brittany Szymaniak, PhD, CGC, instructor of Urology; Gregory Auffenberg, MD, MS, assistant professor of Urology; and doctoral student Stephen Antos.
Kothari and Ross join past Eisenberg Foundation Scholars Norrina Allen, PhD, associate professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology and Pediatrics; Sabrina Lee, PhD, assistant professor of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences; Quinwen Mao, MD, PhD, associate professor of Pathology in the Division of Neuropathology; Craig Weiss, PhD, research professor of Physiology; and Lisa Wilsbacher, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and Pharmacology.
Eisenberg Scholars are well-positioned to collect the preliminary data and results necessary to apply for grants from external funding sources.
"The commitment of Eisenberg Foundation to fund promising research projects at an early stage reflects their strong faith in science, and commitment to better the lives of patients suffering from various illnesses, including cancer,” says Kothari. "The vision of the Eisenberg Foundation is inspiring, and their support propels us to bring promising discoveries from bench to bedside.”
Written by Roger Anderson
