UCSF researcher awarded Jim Lafferty Memorial Research Grant for early detection of prostate cancer

Oct 14 2014

ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer recently awarded the Jim Lafferty Memorial Research Grant in the amount of $45,000 to Peter Carroll, M.D., M.P.H., of UC San Francisco for the purpose of researching new and improved methods for early detection of prostate cancer. The grant is part of the ZERO Cancer Research Fund, charged with supporting innovative, high-reward research that offers the best return on investment for patients and families fighting prostate cancer. 

"Dr. Carroll's research addresses an important challenge in diagnosing prostate cancer – the ability to distinguish aggressive from non-aggressive disease," said ZERO's CEO Jamie Bearse. "This promising research will give men and families more options when deciding how best to treat their prostate cancer."

Dr. Carroll's research includes developing a low cost mechanism to ensure men diagnosed with low risk disease that immediate treatment is not necessary. He proposes to do this at substantially lower cost when compared to commercially available genomic classifiers – a technique that can be done in almost all pathology laboratories around the world.

"My research is at the heart of early detection and addresses the major criticism of early detection – over detection – which in the U.S. leads to over treatment," said Dr. Carroll.

The Jim Lafferty Memorial Research Grant was presented to Dr. Carroll and the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center on September 24. The grant was made through the ZERO Cancer Research Fund and came from a partnership between ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer and Shining Down, a nonprofit founded by Jennifer Lafferty and Tamara Wyman in memory and honor of their husband and dear friend Jim Lafferty, who lost his battle with prostate cancer in 2010 at the young age of 40.

"We are absolutely thrilled to grant these funds to Dr. Carroll for early detection research," said Tamara Gardner. "Jim's passion was to educate men of all ages and their families about prostate cancer and treatment options. We're honoring his memory by supporting this promising research that can help men and families."