The Prostate Cancer Foundation Awards More Than $6 Million to Promising Young Investigators to Advance Prostate Cancer Research

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) announced that its 2024 Young Investigator program has awarded a total of $6.3 million in funding to 30 promising next-generation researchers conducting innovative prostate cancer research. The PCF program, now in its 27^th year, offers career and project support for early-career physicians and scientists who have demonstrated commitment to advancing the prostate cancer field.

“Every year, we are awed by the inspiring ideas and projects shared by Young Investigator Award applicants, and incredibly honored to provide support that will help the most promising advance their research to the next level,” said Gina Carithers, PCF’s president and CEO. “This program is particularly critical now, when increasing pressure on federal research budgets could reverse the momentum we’ve generated in prostate cancer research and innovation over the past three decades. We are more grateful than ever for the generous contributions from our donors, who make this program possible and are a lifeline to continued progress against this still very deadly disease.”

The 2024 Young Investigator Award program received 116 applications from investigators working in nine countries. More than 150 experts in the prostate cancer field reviewed the applications to select a cohort of future research leaders who they believe will keep the field of prostate cancer research vibrant with new ideas. A full list of 2024 PCF Young Investigator Award recipients and full project descriptions is available on our website.

Examples of past awards projects and recipients include critical research resulting in more than 300 high-impact publications on the associations between lifestyle, exercise, nutrition and prostate cancer (Lorelei Mucci, ScD, MPH); a robust program dedicated to research on neuroendocrine prostate cancer, for which there are currently no approved therapies (Himisha Beltran, MD); and trailblazing work that harnessed novel technology to personalize cancer treatment, including the first-of-their-kind biomarker panels to predict treatment responses and resistance to specific therapies (Felix Feng, MD).

About the Prostate Cancer Foundation

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world’s leading philanthropic organization dedicated to funding life-saving prostate cancer research. Founded in 1993 by Mike Milken, PCF has been responsible for raising more than $1 billion in support of cutting-edge research through more than 2,250 research projects at 245 leading cancer centers, with a global footprint spanning 28 countries. Since PCF’s inception, and through its efforts, patients around the world are living longer, suffering fewer complications, and enjoying better quality of life. PCF is committed to the mission of ending death and suffering from the disease. Learn more at pcf.org.