Threads of Discovery – Seeking lived experience with prostate cancer

We will be hosting an in-person introductory meeting on Wednesday 22nd April for lived experience partners and researchers. Find out more below.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in Ireland, causing over 600 deaths each year. When prostate cancer cells spread to other organs in the body, they become difficult to treat. The standard treatment in metastatic prostate cancer involves removing testosterone. However, resistant cells often return and may require surgery if they cause problems for the patient to pass urine. With patient consent, we will grow these cells in the laboratory as tiny 3D clusters that resemble the original tumour. Our research will try to find new treatments that will improve patient lives. 

This communication is part of a project funded by UCD STEM Challenge Fund called  “Threads of Discovery: Weaving Patients into Biomedical Research” driven by the Patient Voice in Health Research network in UCD Conway Institute. As part of this initiative, we are looking for partners with a lived experience of different disease areas to collaborate with researchers within UCD Conway Institute. 

We will be hosting an introductory meeting on 22nd April for lived experience partners and researchers. This will be in person, and will be a day to get to know each other, to learn a bit about public and patient involvement (PPI), to set expectations, and to have a chat. 

We hope through this initiative that long-term partnerships will be established. However, if at the end of the day you think this isn’t for you, that is absolutely fine. You won’t be locked into something you don’t want to be involved in! This is all exploratory.