Professor Prabhakar Rajan

Overview

My research programme spans basic biology, translational research, clinical trials, and population health. In the laboratory, we are exploring how a fundamental genetic process called alternative splicing reshuffles genes to create new proteins that underpin prostate cancer initiation and progression. Clinically, we are investigating ways to reduce the side effects of current treatments for advanced testicular and early prostate cancers. On a population level, we are studying how healthcare disparities in cancer outcomes for different ethnic groups, and how cancer risk can be mitigated for these populations.

• Cancer Cell Biology
• Cancer Genetics
• Epidemiology
• Targeting Tumour Cells
• Prostate

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Team

• Miss Antara Labiba (MRC DTP-funded with Professor Conrad Bessant)

Postdoctoral research fellows

• Dr Federica Mossa (PCUK-funded with Professor Cleo Bishop  & Tyson Sharp)
• Dr Wasim Hamad

Academic Clinical Fellows (NIHR/HEE-funded)

• Dr Stephanie D’Costa (with Dr Sara Paparini)
• Dr Pinky Kotecha (with Professor Alastair Lamb)

Clinical Research Fellows (NHS-funded)

• Mr Muhammad Haider

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Research

Our laboratory-based research explores how alternative pre-mRNA splicing, a ubiquitous post-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanism, underpins prostate cancer (PCa) phenotypes.  During alternative splicing, coding (exons) and non-coding (introns) regions of a single gene are shuffled to create different protein isoforms with different functions.  Alternative splicing is regulated by trans-acting RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), is tightly coupled to transcriptional programmes, and responsive to intracellular signalling cascades.

Many early prostate tumours can be managed by active surveillance, which aims to delay or defer treatment, thereby avoiding or deferring the treatment-related side effects.  We are investigating ways to increase the adoption of active surveillance using strategies to reduce disease progression or “drop out” from surveillance programmes.  We are also exploring new ways to manage advanced testicular cancers by employing minimally-invasive surgery to reduce or avoid chemotherapy-related side effects.

W​e are studying healthcare disparities in cancer risk and outcomes.  We are interested in the genetic determinants of prostate cancer risk amongst South Asians, and improving prostate cancer outcomes in the Black community through participatory action research.

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Key Publications

Sociodemographic landscape of suspected prostate cancer referrals and diagnoses across North East London. BJUI Compass (2025) Feb 4;6(2):e495.  PMID: 39917583

Treatment de-escalation for stage II seminoma. Nat Rev Urol. (2023) Aug;20(8):502-51 PMID: 36882564

FOXA1 regulates alternative splicing in prostate cancer. Cell Rep (2022) 40(13):111404. PMID: 36170835

Feasibility of aspirin and/or vitamin D3 for men with prostate cancer on active surveillance with Prolaris® testing. BJUI Compas (2022) Jun 11;3(6):458-465. PMID: 36267207

The effect of comorbidity on prostate cancer-specific mortality: A prospective observational study. J Clin Oncol (2017) 35(31):3566-3574. PMID: 28930493

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Major Funding

• 2024-2027 – NIHR/Health Education England Academic Clinical Fellowship, ‘Novel biomarker discovery approaches to immunotherapies,’ ~£200,000 (Role: PI)
• 2023-2026 – Prostate Cancer UK Research Innovation Award, “Understanding and exploiting the PTEN driven alternative splicing programme in hypoxic prostate tumours” ~£275,357 (Role: PI)
• 2023-2026 – NIHR/Health Education England Academic Clinical Fellowship, ‘Machine learning-led prostate cancer liquid biopsy biomarker panel discovery,’ ~£200,000 (Role: PI)
• 2021-2027 – Barts Charity Large Project Grant, THERATEST (THERApy de-escalation in TESTicular cancer), £143,000 (Role: PI)
• 2021-2024 – MRC DTP in Translational Immunology, Inflammation and Cancer, ‘Identification of splicing-driven putative neoantigens using proteomics informed by transcriptomics’, £80,000 (Role: PI)

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Other Activities

• 2023 to date – Research Advisory Committee Member, Prostate Cancer UK
• 2021 to date – Deputy Programme Director, MSc in Laparoscopic Surgery & Surgical Skills, Barts Cancer Institute
• 2021 to date – Module Lead, CAN7028 Laparoscopic Skills, Barts Cancer Institute
• 2021 to date – Module Lead, CAN7026 Laparoscopic Skills Suturing Skills, Barts Cancer Institute
• 2019 to date – University College London Urology Clinical Academic Board

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Biography

Key qualifications

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Related News

Study identifies how cancer-causing gene regulates genetic variation in prostate cancer

Researchers from Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London, the Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, and the University of Milan have identified a novel role for a cancer-causing gene in controlling an important genetic process that underpins genetic variation in prostate cancer.

General News   27 September 2022

Barts Cancer Institute hosts its first Robotic Surgery Symposium

On 4th November 2021, Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London, in partnership with Barts Health NHS Trust, hosted its first Robotic Surgery Symposium, focused on the use of robotic systems for minimally invasive (or laparoscopic) surgery.

Events   3 December 2021

AR alterations in prostate cancer

Recent findings from a study published in JAMA Oncology have identified genetic markers within blood samples which may indicate whether patients with prostate cancer will respond to hormonal therapies. The study may represent an important step forward for the development of more personalised treatments for advanced prostate cancer.

General News   16 May 2019

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