‘Jekyll and Hyde’ molecule may help pave the way to personalised medicine for prostate cancer patients

Researchers at the University of Hull have uncovered the harmful, hidden nature of a molecule involved in prostate cancer.

In a series of two recently published papers*, researchers at the University of Hull have shown that prostate cancer patients who have a molecule called Endo180 present in their tumours tend to have more severe disease.

Around 65 per cent of men with Endo180-positive tumours died within five years of diagnosis, compared to just 39 per cent who did not have Endo180. These results suggest that Endo180 contributes to thousands of prostate cancer deaths. And the team have also uncovered why this might be.