BCAN Announces 2019 Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Awardee

BCAN’s Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Award supports exceptionally novel and creative projects with great potential to produce breakthroughs in the management of bladder cancer. The 2019 awardee is Philip Beachy, Ph.D., Professor of Urology and of Developmental Biology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. His research project addresses the need for better treatments for recurrent bladder cancer CIS (carcinoma in-situ) and intermediate and high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Dr. Beachy’s project “Transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to urothelial progenitors for definitive urothelial replacement therapy in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer,”  involves replacing the diseased urothelium with healthy bladder urothelial progenitor cells.  In addition to generating these bladder urothelial progenitors, he will also focus on developing methods for transplanting these cells into bladders afflicted with NMIBC using a carcinogen-based bladder cancer mouse model.  Dr. Beachy intends to develop a diagnostic tool based on single-cell RNA sequencing of human patient samples to identify candidates for this potential therapy.

“It is gratifying to provide funding for innovative bladder cancer research projects such as Dr. Beachy’s. This award supports research that is high-risk and has the potential for high-reward in new discoveries,” said Andrea Maddox Smith, CEO of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network.  “These critical projects are not likely to be funded elsewhere.  We are proud to continue to encourage innovation in the bladder cancer research community.”

Read the full press release: Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Announces 2019 Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Awardee