PRO-NEST

Prostate Research Organizations-Network of Early Stage Training

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'New and recent developments have revolutionized the prostate cancer research and clinical arenas, requiring the next generation scientists to have comprehensive knowledge and expertise in basic, clinical and applied research. PRO-NEST offers young researchers a European integrated, multi-disciplinary training programme to become an independent and all-round scientist and team leader in (prostate) cancer research. This network is driven by recognised and experienced scientists from 17 academic and industrial partners. The joint PRO-NEST research programme focuses on the understanding of the molecular events responsible for the initiation and progression of prostate cancer as well as on the development of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, with the ultimate goal to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention of this major European health problem. The fellows will strongly contribute to this programme by their individual research projects that will be carried out in a high standard and collaborative scientific infrastructure under the supervision of experts in the field. In this way, they will become technical specialists in a dedicated area of cancer research. The scientific and complementary skills of the fellows will be expanded and deepened by secondments and by theoretical and practical network-wide training courses on basic and clinical aspects of prostate cancer, biomarkers, technology, valorisation, scientific writing and presentation, project management, communication skills and job application skills. In an international conference entitled ‘The European prostate cancer research floor on stage’ organised at the end of PRO-NEST, the fellows are given the opportunity to present themselves to potential coming academic and industrial employers. The expertise, ‘state of the art’ tools and technological skills provided by each of the partners are competitive at the world scale, and form the comprehensive basis of top-level research and training in PRO-NEST. The available support from professional organizations and the existing collaborations in large research consortia ensures the successful realization of the PRO-NEST goals.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Prostate cancer is a major European health problem. An innovative EU-funded project provided training for young scientists in the field to cultivate the next generation of researchers.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The project 'Prostate research organizations-network of early stage training' (PRO-NEST) provided 4 years of training to 20 early-stage prostate cancer scientists and 4 experienced researchers. PRO-NEST attracted 17 of Europe's leading academic and industry leaders from 9 countries to act as supervisors. The collaboration stimulated a cross-fertilisation of ideas across different languages and environments.

In addition, five associated partners from the public and private sectors supported the network. This included Europa Uomo, the European coalition of patient support groups for prostate cancer.

PRO-NEST's training programme consisted of individual research on topics ranging from molecular events responsible for the initiation and progression of the disease to the development of novel biomarkers and therapeutic agents. The training was supplemented with four network courses and two workshops on complementary skills, including leadership and entrepreneurship, job application and grant writing skills.

Project activities ended with an international symposium as part of the 20th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Urology Section of Urological Research. This took place in Strasbourg, France. PRO-NEST fellows presented their research to an impressive international audience.

The research programme has generated many new leads for future research, including novel genes and proteins that are potential diagnostic or prognostic markers. Research pursued over the course of the project has been published in more than 25 peer-reviewed journals. The success of the project has also been recognised by the European Commission, and an article about PRO-NEST appeared on the DG Research and Innovation web page.

For the future, the hope is that PRO-NEST fellows will continue to contribute to the field, improving diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention of prostate cancer.