CPDR Unveils First Center Solely for Prostate Cancer Research

ROCKVILLE, Md—The Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR) has opened a new freestanding research center to consolidate its many initiatives and allow these programs to continue to develop and expand. The new site is the nation’s only facility dedicated solely to prostate disease research.

With approximately 20,000 square feet of space, the center houses basic research and molecular biology laboratories as well as a comprehensive prostate cancer patient database center; a prostate research library; a tumor tissue, DNA, RNA, cell, and serum bank; and an educational center for military health care providers.

The CPDR, established by Congress in 1991, is a Department of Defense program conducted in collaboration with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.

The CPDR focuses on identifying genetic prognostic markers to help physicians determine the best treatment for prostate disease and is also developing new molecular treatment strategies.

In its 8-year history, researchers at the CPDR have achieved several milestones in the battle against prostate disease. Among its many breakthroughs, the CPDR counts the discovery of the role played by several human genes in prostate cancer as well as the establishment of a landmark clinical database that will contain information on consenting prostate cancer patients treated within the military health system. This database will allow researchers to utilize previously unavailable clinical information to further their scientific studies.