Clark Atlanta University gets grant for prostate cancer research and treatment

African American men have highest incidence
Jaideep Chaudhary, professor in the Department of Biological
Sciences and interim associate dean, School of Arts and Sciences at Clark Atlanta University.

Jaideep Chaudhary, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and interim associate dean, School of Arts and Sciences at Clark Atlanta University.

The Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development at Clark Atlanta University, with the University of Texas at El Paso and Vancouver Prostate Centre, has  been awarded a $1.5 million grant by the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program to develop groundbreaking drugs to aid in the treatment of a deadly form of  prostate cancer.

Jaideep Chaudhary, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and interim associate dean, School of Arts and Sciences, will be the principal investigator for CAU. Chaudhary will conduct pre-clinical trials of newly designed drugs coming from this collaborative research project.

“This grant is extremely significant for the Cancer Center as it addresses our mission of developing treatments for prostate cancer, which disproportionately affects African American men,” said Chaudhary.

As of 2013, the most recent year for which statistics exist, black men had the highest rate of contracting prostate cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also found in the same year blacks have a higher death rate from prostate cancer than other ethnic groups.

The Center was established at CAU in 1999 through combining the joint strengths of the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry. It has strategic partnerships with colleges, universities and laboratories worldwide, including Emory  University, Morehouse College, Cornell University and iThemba LABS in South

Africa.