Noncoding RNA for Personalized Prostate Cancer Treatment: Utilizing the ‘Dark Matters’ of the Genome

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in western countries, with significant health impact. Clinically, it is complicated with the lack of biomarkers and effective treatments for aggressive disease, particularly castration-resistant prostate cancer. Although we have gained much insight into the biology of prostate cancer through studying protein-coding genes, they represent only a small fraction of our genome. Therefore, it is essential for us to investigate noncoding RNAs, which comprise the majority of our transcriptome, in order to achieve a better understanding of prostate cancer and move toward personalized medicine. In this article, we will address recent advancements in our knowledge of noncoding RNAs, and discuss the clinical potentials and challenges of different types of noncoding RNAs in prostate cancer.

Keywords::

• biomarker
• noncoding RNA
• personalized medicine
• prostate cancer
• therapy

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Work in the laboratory of HH He is supported by Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (to HH He), Canada Foundation for Innovation and Ontario Research Fund (CFI32372 to HH He), NSERC Discovery Grant (498706 to HH He), WICC Ontario 20th Anniversary Prostate Cancer Innovation Grant of the CCS (703800 to HH He), CIHR Transitional Operating Grant (142246 to HH He), Movember Rising Star Award and Discovery Grant from Prostate Cancer Canada. HH He holds an OMIR Early Researcher Award, a Terry Fox New Investigator Award and a CIHR New Investigator Salary Award. J Hua is a CIHR Graduate Student Fellowship recipient. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

Work in the laboratory of HH He is supported by Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (to HH He), Canada Foundation for Innovation and Ontario Research Fund (CFI32372 to HH He), NSERC Discovery Grant (498706 to HH He), WICC Ontario 20th Anniversary Prostate Cancer Innovation Grant of the CCS (703800 to HH He), CIHR Transitional Operating Grant (142246 to HH He), Movember Rising Star Award and Discovery Grant from Prostate Cancer Canada. HH He holds an OMIR Early Researcher Award, a Terry Fox New Investigator Award and a CIHR New Investigator Salary Award. J Hua is a CIHR Graduate Student Fellowship recipient. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.