Ann Arbor, MI — March 9, 2006 — A University of Michigan School of Dentistry researcher has been awarded $100,000 to investigate factors that cause prostate cancer to spread to the bone, a hallmark of advanced prostate cancer. The researcher, Dr. Russell Taichman, said his investigations into the bone debilitating disease might some day help prostate cancer patients. "They might also even help dentists restore damaged bone structures in a patient's mouth," he said.

Taichman, a professor in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, received the one-year award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research. The Foundation places seed money into novel areas and/or high risk, high impact projects in the hopes that sufficient preliminary data will allow investigators to obtain subsequent funding from other organizations.

Background

Cancers of the prostate gland, and those in many other tissues, display a tendency to invade and survive in bone. Once the tumor spreads to distant tissues, survival drastically declines. Taichman hopes his research will provide significant information about the specific mechanisms that prompt the migration of cancer cells to bone tissue and, ultimately, improve researcher's understanding of how damaged bone, including those in the orofacial region, can be repaired in any disease setting.

For several years, Taichman's lab has been studying the mechanisms involved in metastasis. About two years ago, his laboratory discovered a link between the migration of blood stem cells to the marrow during bone marrow transplantation and the spread of prostate cancer cells to bone tissue. In the work funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Taichman and those in his laboratory will build upon what they have already learned and further explore these mechanisms in metastatic prostate cancer.

The Role of a Student's Question

Interestingly, Taichman's work in this area was prompted by a question from an undergraduate in his laboratory, Stephanie Zalucha.

"As I was discussing how blood stem cells cling to bone marrow, Stephanie asked if this same process could also contribute to how prostate cancers spread to bone and grow. I had to admit that I didn't know," Taichman continued. "As a result of her question, we began our investigations which, in turn, resulted in this award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation to continue our research."

"As luck would have it," Taichman said, "we discovered that these stem cells appear to use the same pathway as do metastastic prostate cancer cells in migrating to the marrow and surviving in that environment. However, when the prostate cancer cells use that pathway, instead of merely surviving, they are inducted to grow."

Taichman believes that by studying this pathway, "not only will we learn more about how prostate cancers grow in the bone, but we might also identify new methods to prevent the spread of tumors."

In addition, Taichman said preliminary work on the pathway suggests that it might contribute to the overgrowth of new bone, a common and unwanted side effect of metastastic prostate cancer. "If the mechanisms that tumors use to generate new bone tissue can be harnessed, a new realm of therapy for diseases resulting in bone loss can be imagined," he said.

"Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in America," said Leslie D. Michelson, chief executive officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. "By funding this innovative research into bone growth and metastasis at the University of Michigan, we hope to accelerate the development of better treatments for the two million men and their families who are battling prostate cancer."

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation's leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.

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