The Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre – Queensland (APCRC-Q) is a dedicated, disease-specific national prostate cancer research centre, based in Brisbane. As a partnership between Queensland University of Technology and the Princess Alexandra Hospital, the Centre’s strength lies in the breadth of its research programs across the translational research pipeline. This underpins the Centre’s capability to accelerate scientific discoveries into improved clinical outcomes for patients. With more than 85 academic and clinical faculty, researchers and trainees, APCRC-Q spans the full spectrum of prostate cancer research – including discovery, diagnostic and therapeutic development, and health services – through the dedication and passion of a large, coordinated, multidisciplinary biomedical, clinical and public health research team.

Website

http://www.australianprostatecentre.org/

Organisation type

• University Research Centre

Number of research staff

20-100 research staff

Address

Level 1, Building 1, Princess Alexandra Hospital, 199 Ispwich Road, Woolloongabba QLD 4102

Strengths and capabilities

• Cancer genomics
• Cancer transcriptomics
• Bioinformatics
• Studies in molecular pathology
• Investigations into cancer cell biology
• Preclinical imaging and therapeutic evaluation
• Molecular diagnostics with circulating tumour cells
• Clinical trials

Facilities and major equipment

• Physical Containment Class 2 (PC2) Laboratory
• Translational Research Institute Core Facilities
• Facilities at Princess Alexandra Hospital
• Facilities at Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation

Lead researcher

• Professor Colleen Nelson—Her lab made the seminal discovery that castrate resistant prostate tumours can synthesize their own androgens de novo from cholesterol.
• Distinguished Professor Judith Clements AC—Companion of the Order of Australia for prostate cancer research and generating ongoing funding to establish medical research facilities.
• Professor Pamela Russell AM—Awarded Membership of the Order of Australia (AM) 2003 for her research on bladder and prostate cancer

Achievements of the centre

• Discovered interactions between androgens and insulin pathways in prostate cancer leading to clinical interventions
• Contributed to the world’s largest analysis of genetic biomarkers that identified 23 new prostate cancer risk loci (sites) on the genome
• Leading comparative imaging clinical trials for prostate cancer detection and treatment response.

Key science sectors

More information about the sectors this centre is involved in:

• Health and medical