The androgen receptor (AR) is a key protein in prostate cells that binds androgen sex hormones (e.g. testosterone) that drive prostate cancer development and progression. We are leading research developing and trialling new androgen receptor targeted drugs to combat drug resistance and fatal disease.

The University of Adelaide
Contact: Professor Lisa Butler, Associate Professor Luke Selth

Lipids (fatty acids) can profoundly influence prostate cancer cell behaviour, including disease aggressiveness and resistance to drugs. We are using this knowledge to i) develop sensitive probes for lipid biomarkers to predict disease behaviour and the likely response of men to different prostate cancer drugs to better guide treatment and improve health outcomes, ii) evaluate lipid enzyme inhibitors as a novel drug approach for treating prostate cancer, and iii) better inform lifestyle-related prevention strategies to reduce the risk of aggressive disease.

Prostate Cancer Research Group
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), The University of Adelaide
Contact: Professor Lisa Butler

In a prospective clinical trial across 5 Australian sites, we are giving men with prostate cancer statins (cholesterol lowering drug) to examine whether they reverse a poor prognosis lipidome signature.
ANZ Clinical Trials Register Study ID: ACTRN12617000965303 (NSW Study)
Contact: Professor Lisa Butler

Researchers are seeking men who have metastatic prostate cancer who do not already undertake regular resistance and aerobic exercise to participate in a 9 week study to evaluate an online exercise guidance tool.
Lead site: The University of Adelaide
Contact: Holly Evans

A clinical trial of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, ribociclib, is underway in collaboration with the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney.

ANZCTR Study ID: ACTRN12618000354280

Contact: Professor Lisa Butler

With progressed prostate cancer, men are no longer responding to the standard anti-androgen drug therapy. While developing new drugs often can take 15 years, this program will reduce this timeframe by aiming to re-purpose existing lipid-modifying medicines. We aim to take our laboratory findings into a proof-of-concept clinical trial to test whether trimetazidine is safe and effective in treating men on ADT, to prevent or delay the onset of lethal castrate resistant prostate cancer.

Through this trial we aim for a potential new therapeutic approach using existing drugs used to treat cardio-metabolic disease to prevent lethal prostate cancer, reduced drug-related toxicities in men being treated for prostate cancer, and Improved length and quality of life for men living with advanced prostate cancer.

Contact: Dr Zeyad Nassar

The aim of this project is to determine the impact of commonly prescribed classes of concomitant non-cancer medicines (i.e.antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors, lipid- and blood glucose-lowering medications) on the efficacy of treatments for metastatic prostate cancer. To achieve this, we will exploit large clinical trial datasets, sophisticated data analytic methods (e.g. machine learning) and biologically-informed models.

Contact: Dr Ashley Hopkins

This project, which brings together expertise in clinical pathology, machine learning, statistics and computer science, aims to use a Deep Learning approach to analyse prostate biopsy images to better distinguish between Gleason 3+4 and 4+3 more reliably.

Contact: Dr Gobert lee

Researchers are seeking men who are overweight, aged 18-50 years to participate in a 12 week Adelaide based trial of an dietician led nutrient-sense diet on sperm quality.
Lead site: The University of Adelaide
Contact: Nicole McPherson

The responsibilities of fatherhood start well before conception. Our research examines the biology of how disease risk is transferred via sperm and use this knowledge to develop tests of risk and interventions targeting men at the family planning stage.

The Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, and South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
Contact: Dr Nicole McPherson

The Men Androgen Inflammation Lifestyle Environment and Stress (MAILES) study is one of Australia's most comprehensive biomedical studies on male health and wellbeing with ageing. This study continues to improve our understanding of health trajectories of men over time, the risk factors for, and interrelatedness of, conditions commonly effecting men and using this knowledge to inform preventative health strategies, and to improve screening and early intervention, treatment approaches and outcomes.

The University of Adelaide and South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
Contact: Professor Gary Wittert, Dr Sean Martin, Professor Robert Adams

This Program aims to listen to the voices of young males around mental health and wellbeing within masculinised sporting cultures, explore the way in which sporting clubs work with young males around mental health and wellbeing, investigate the way in which masculinities are created, maintained, and perpetuated within masculinized sporting clubs, and promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing as a key element of sporting club culture.

Contact: Murray Drummond

The metacognitive training (MCT) programme is an effective psychological treatment for reducing delusional symptoms and may be particularly effective in young men. This is due to MCT’s unique focuses on the underlying problematic thinking styles responsible for delusions, rather than directly challenging these beliefs, which makes it a less confrontational approach.

Contact: Ryan Balzan

This program’s focus is on de-stigmatising psychosis and its youth-friendly audio-visual delivery to help foster a strong therapeutic alliance that will also help young men stay engaged with therapy and could improve their long-term prognosis.

Using COVID-19 response data collected from men in the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS) & the North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS), the aim is to develop a detailed understanding of the acute and medium-term economic drivers of mental and physical health maintenance in well-characterised, representative cohorts of men.

Contact: Prof Robert Adams

We will continue to collect the stories/accounts of male veteran suicide from families or survivors, and use this to identify i) the service-related contexts, ii) post service-related contexts, iii) the family and social support elements, iv) the institutional support elements, and v) mental and physical health elements of men’s suicide or attempted suicide.

This program hopes to continue to formally define the relationship between the ideals of manhood, the impacts of military training and service and their relationship with poor mental health or moral injury leading to suicide attempt or death.

Contact: Ben Wadham

We will continue to collect the stories/accounts of male veteran suicide from families or survivors, and use this to identify i) the service-related contexts, ii) post service-related contexts, iii) the family and social support elements, iv) the institutional support elements, and v) mental and physical health elements of men’s suicide or attempted suicide.

This research aims to translate the Centre’s research into an impactful health service integration program targeting the patient-GP interface, arming men with the knowledge, motivation, and agency to recognize symptoms and health behaviours as prompts to engage with primary health care services, and providing men and GPs with tools that optimise the outcomes of that engagement.

Contact: Professor Gary Wittert

We will partner with researchers and community outreach officers at Cancer Council SA (lead by Dr Jess Loyer), the Multicultural Communities of South Australia Men’s Group who are investigating barriers to engagement with cancer control programs among CALD communities.

This program aims to adapt the current RACGP prostate cancer screening decision-making tool to be culturally sensitive and meet the needs of men from CALD backgrounds and improve the uptake of PSA screening which will facilitate early detection and treatment/monitoring of prostate cancer.

Contact: Dr Norma Bulamu

This program is a 1-year South-Australian-based clinical training fellowship in andrology and Men’s Health, delivered in association with Healthy Male (Andrology Australia) to develop a dedicated men’s health clinical sub-specialty workforce and services.

Contact: Professor Gary Wittert

The aim of this program is to translate ecological maps of risk and protective factors for wellbeing in Aboriginal men and boys into health promotion and prevention activities in SA through trialling the use of an ecological framework and knowledge interface processes as tools to improve the wellbeing of First Nations men and boys.

The program will be led by Aboriginal academics and informed by Indigenous knowledge of health and wellbeing. Further, community engagement will empower communities to participate in the development of resources to support the social and emotional wellbeing of their men and boys.

Contact: Tamara Mackean