"We are hopeful that this discovery will eventually lead to a simple genetic test for prostate cancer for African-American men who are at high risk for developing prostate cancer, allowing genetic counselling and earlier, potentially life-saving treatment" said Dr. Koochekpour.

Funding for this research was provided by the National Institutes of Health's Center for Biomedical Excellence and the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium.

Prior to this study, Dr. Koochekpour's research program brought national attention to the role of another protein, prosaposin, in prostate cancer biology. Funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), additional studies are currently underway in Dr. Koochekpour's laboratory to determine the biological characteristics and relative incidence of the mutation. These efforts could not only advance our knowledge, but also can be used in the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.

Dr. Koochekpour is also a project leader for the Center for Biomedical Excellence (COBRE) grant to LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, "Mentoring Translational Researchers in Louisiana," a major initiative supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create research infrastructure in Louisiana and, more specifically, to accelerate the progression of biomedical research from the laboratory to the patient.

Source: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center