Assistant Professor Che-Chia Hsu, PhD, was awarded a 2025 Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) Cancer Research Young Investigator Pilot Award for his study, “Targeting IMPA1/Inositol/IMPDH2 Axis to Impede Metastasis in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC)”
Researchers have long known that cancer cells rely on distinct metabolic pathways, depending on which oncogenes are activated or which tumor suppressor genes are lost. However, it remains unclear whether unique metabolic pathways are essential for driving metastasis in prostate cancer.
Previous work from Hsu’s team showed that a molecule called inositol, produced by the enzyme IMPA1, helps prostate cancer cells stay aggressive and resist treatments like enzalutamide. This was shown in a mouse model of advanced prostate cancer that lacks a functioning immune system. Cancer cells use a special enzyme (IMPDH2) to produce important intracellular guanine nucleotide levels that help them grow, survive, and spread. In many cancers, this process may become overactive, helping the cancer grow faster or resist treatment.
What remains unknown is whether this same inositol pathway also helps prostate cancer spread in a model where the immune system is fully active. It’s also unknown whether blocking this pathway, along with standard treatments, could help slow or stop the cancer from spreading.
To answer these questions, rigorous preclinical studies using prostate orthotopic and intracardiac mouse models are urgently needed. Funding in the amount of $25,000 for his project runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026, and will make it possible to conduct experiments, generate essential proof‑of‑concept data, and build the foundation required for future translational research and clinical trial development.
DCI’s Cancer Research Young Investigator Pilot Awards are open to young investigators conducting cancer-related research who are establishing, or on the path to establishing, an independent research career.