Affiliations
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Urological Research,
Prostate Research and Treatment Program
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Director,
JCCC Genitourinary Oncology Program Area
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Professor,
Urology
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Physician,
Bladder Cancer Program,
Kidney Cancer Program,
Testicular Cancer Program
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Member,
CTSI
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Research Interests
Interests: Prostate cancer, urologic oncology
My laboratory interest in the basic molecular biology of urologic cancers and the translation of these discoveries to the clinical care of patients. Over the past few years, our laboratory has focused on three interrelated areas (1)the discovery of novel cell surface and secreted proteins associated with prostate cancer progression (2) the development of therapies directed against these targets, and (3) development of animal models of prostate and bladder cancer. A primary example of these three areas is our work related to prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), a cell surface antigen which is overexpressed in a large percentage of prostate and bladder cancers. This gene was discovered by subtractive hybridization of xenografted prostate cancers developed at UCLA. Monoclonal antibodies against PSCA were generated and shown to inhibit prostate cancer in preclinical models. We are currently studying the mechanism by which these antibodies inhibit tumor formation and metastasis. We have also used these antibodies to study epithelial lineages within the normal prostate, hypothesizing that PSCA may mark a lineage associated with prostate carcinogenesis. Finally, we have asked whether the PSCA promoter can be used to target marker genes and oncogenes to the prostate (and bladder). Our first study, in collaboration with Owen Witte’s laboratory, demonstrated that the PSCA promoter can drive green fluorescent protein expression to a unique subset of prostate epithelial cells associated with prostate growth and cancer formation. We are currently expanding these studies to develop novel transgenic models of prostate (and bladder) cancer. Finally, we continue to identify additional genes potentially important in prostate and bladder cancer progression, which we hope to put through similar paradigms as described for PSCA.
Biography:
Dr. Reiter is Professor and Bing Chair in Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology, a member of the Molecular Biology Institute and JCCC. He leads the Prostate Cancer Program and has been PI of UCLA's Prostate Cancer SPORE program since 2007. His research is focused on molecular and functional imaging of prostate cancer, the discovery of novel targets for therapy and diagnosis, and the mechanisms by which prostate cancers evade current therapeutic approaches. He also is Assistant Dean of Bio-entrepreneurship in the DGSOM where he helps lead a faculty advisory to the newly established DGSOM Accelerator.
Publications
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