The project, which secured funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation , has two main objectives. First, it aims to create the Prostate Cancer Atlas , an online resource that catalogues genetic variants associated with prostate cancer. Second,
Professor Jean-Philippe Theurillat, could you explain, in a nutshell, how genetic variants are involved in the diagnosis and development of tumours? "Currently, variants are not utilized for diagnostic purposes. Our study aims to investigate the biological role of the ERF-202 variant within the mitochondria, which are the energy-producing structures in tumour cells. The findings may lead to the development of new treatments associated with the expression of the ERF-202 variant."
What new insights does your study provide in comparison to existing knowledge?
"The study will establish an example for a gene that has two different variants (ERF-201 and -202) in the nucleus (ERF-201) and in the mitochondrion with two different functions."
What specific innovations in medicine do you hope to achieve through this project?
"We hope to be able to understand how the expression of the ERF-202 gene is lost during prostate cancer progression; new therapies developed on the basis of this knowledge will be able to help many patients."
