The Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded Jung Wook Park, PhD, a $150,000 FY24 Exploration - Hypothesis Development Award. The grant will be disbursed on September 1, 2025, for two years.
Park plans to use the funds to define the biology of how prostate cancer progresses to become lethal. His work will result in the creation of new preclinical prostate cancer models, which would represent a significant leap forward in the field of cancer research and boost patient outcomes.
Recent studies show the potential for prostate adenocarcinoma (PrAd) to change into a different cancer type known as neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) during ongoing therapeutic treatments. Distinct characteristics of NEPC and PrAd necessitate differing treatment strategies, and the coexistence of NEPC cells with PrAd cells emphasizes the critical need for effective treatment options that target both cancer types. Park’s study seeks to provide definitive insights into the complex communication between NEPC and PrAd cells, shedding light on how they either collaborate or compete in their growth.
NEPC cells secrete proteins, some of which are exclusive to NEPC but capable of binding to other proteins such as cell membrane receptor proteins in both NEPC and PrAd. Secreted proteins include NPTX1, specific to NEPC, and its binding partner, NPTXR, present in both NEPC and PrAd cells.
Park hypothesizes that the interaction of secreted NPTX1 (from NEPC cells) with NPTXR or with unidentified NPTX1-binding proteins in PrAd cells, potentially contributes to the development of prostate cancer in both types of cells (NEPC and PrAd). To test this hypothesis, he describes a method to identify and evaluate NPTX1-interacting proteins in both NEPC and PrAd, using the powerful tool called BioID, which can accurately label proteins around NPTX1 in cells. In this way, he aims to conclusively determine the impact of the presence or absence of NPTX1-interacting proteins on the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Furthermore, Park will utilize a three-dimensional organoid culture system that allows for the transformation of primary normal human prostate cells into PrAd or NEPC cells by introducing cancer-driving genetic factors. This approach will capture molecular changes during prostate cancer development in the presence or absence of NPTX1.
The DOD is particularly interested in Park’s study due to fact that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among active-duty military members and veterans. This increased risk means military personnel are also more likely to develop treatment-resistant prostate cancer such as untreatable NEPC.
Park holds an Endowed Rollie Assistant Professorship in Correlative Pathology and has received various other awards, including the following:
- Class of 2020 Young Investigator Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF)
- DOD Prostate Cancer Idea Development Award (2021)
- DOD Kidney Cancer Idea Development Grant (2022)