The QUT community is helping the fathers, sons and brothers affected by prostate cancer
Prostate cancer affects one in seven Australian men and claims the lives of 3,500 men each year. A team of QUT researchers play a critical role in reducing these statistics through innovative and life-changing treatments.
For researcher Associate Professor Sally Stephensen and donor Andrew Bills, CEO of CS Energy and Chair of Stronger for Longer, a volunteer group raising funds to support prostate cancer research, prostate cancer directly impacted their lives. Their experience led them on a mission to find and support better treatments.
“My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago. He had a radical prostatectomy, and passed away last year,” Associate Professor Sally Stephensen said.
“My father-in-law was also diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“For the last five months of his life, my father-in-law was confined to a wheelchair, paralysed from the waist down due to cancer in his spine. He had to endure several terrible and invasive surgeries to save his life.
“Unfortunately, treatment was not successful, and he passed away after several long months
Research Director, Professor David Waugh, and lead researchers, Associate Professor Sally Stephensen and Dr. Mohanan Moharaj are spearheading QUT's precision treatment for prostate cancer research. They are developing targeted therapies that actively seek out cancer proteins and kill the harmful cells. Eighteen potential target proteins have already been selected from a preliminary screen. Work is underway to confirm these are modified in prostate cancers.
“2019 was a year when I became one of the thousands of Australian men affected by prostate cancer. I am passionate about supporting research that provides men with options regarding their treatment,” Andrew Bills, CEO of CS Energy and Chair of Stronger for Longer shared.
The QUT research team received significant support from generous donors like Andrew Bills in 2021. Funds raised through QUT Giving Day totalled $63,414, and the Downer Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge raised more than $100,000. This funding will fast-track QUT’s novel approach to developing new drugs to help fight prostate cancer and progress treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes.
The latest discoveries in prostate cancer genomics have brought us closer than ever to better treatments and a cure. Still, there is far more work to be done. The QUT team of researchers is extremely grateful for your support. They look forward to continuing their ground-breaking research and impacting the lives of men and their families around the world. Find out more about how you can support QUT’s prostate cancer research.
