Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Cancer Institute awarded Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai a $682,886 Project Grant under the Cancer Biology Research program (CFDA 93.396) effective May 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031. This five-year research initiative focuses on elucidating the role of ATAD2 (AAA-Adenosine Triphosphatase Domain-containing protein 2) in prostate cancer progression and metastasis. The project addresses a critical clinical need by investigating the mechanisms underlying metastatic disease, which accounts for the majority of prostate cancer-related deaths in U.S. men, with particular emphasis on bone metastasis and its associated patient morbidity. The research will utilize novel mouse and human prostate cancer models to determine ATAD2's functional significance as an epigenetic and transcriptional regulator, examining its capacity to modulate bone colonization and antitumoral immune responses.

This Cancer Biology Research award will advance fundamental understanding of cancer mechanisms with applications toward developing more efficient therapeutic interventions. The project leverages preliminary findings indicating that ATAD2 is progressively overexpressed during prostate cancer progression and represents a viable therapeutic target due to its restricted expression in normal adult tissues and the presence of a druggable bromodomain. The research will be conducted at Mount Sinai's New York facility and contributes to the National Cancer Institute's strategic objective of providing fundamental information on cancer etiology and nature to support improved prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment methodologies for neoplastic diseases.