The Prostate Project has once again launched its successful OctoBeardFest campaign with the support of long-serving patron the broadcaster Michael Buerk.
Established in 2013, OctoBeardFest calls on men to let their beards grow for the month of October, foregoing the razor to raise money for the Guildford, UK-based prostate charity.
Over £200,000 has been raised so far and is being used to fund a world-class research team at the University of Surrey, led by Professor Hardev Pandha.
Currently, the university researchers are running a 500-man clinical trial of the breakthrough EN2 urine test for prostate cancer, as well as research to help determine how aggressive the cancer is through the development of a blood test.
The team hopes that this research, funded by the Prostate Project’s campaign, will lead to tailored diagnostics and medicines that will see advanced prostate cancer patients benefit from a new generation of hormone-targeting drugs.
Last year’s OctoBeardFest funded exosome research – tiny particles extracted from the blood that hold vital information on why some patients respond better than others to certain drugs.
A new study collecting exosome samples from men on enzalutamide – the first of the new hormone-targeting drugs – is underway, with results expected by early 2017.
- To get involved, visit the OctoBeardFest website to register