Research Projects
Dapagliflozin combined with next-generation hormonal agent (NHA) versus single NHA in participants with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer: a phase 2, multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial


Programme(s) to which this project applies:
☑ MPhil/PhD ☑ MRes[Med] ☑ URIS

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) combined with novel hormonal agent (NHA) is a standard treatment for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) but treatment failure and side effects remain significant concerns. Researchers are identifying non-castrating therapies to improve treatment tolerance and quality of life. Recently, the anti-tumor effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors has been revealed in vitro, vivo, and population-based observational studies. However, only one phase I trial has assessed their safety in PCa, and no randomized controlled trial (RCT) has evaluated their efficacy.

Eligible patients will be randomized into two treatment groups with a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the test group will receive dapagliflozin on top of NHA plus ADT while those in the control group will receive standard of care NHA plus ADT. 

Professor Y Na, Department of Surgery

Professor Yung Na obtained the MD degree in 2013. He also obtained the MPH from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in 2021. He has special interests in urological oncology, especially in prostate cancer. His research focuses on genetic epidemiology research, Genetic functional study, and clinical translational research for prostate cancer and other urological diseases. He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in different impacted journals in the field, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, European Urology, etc. He served as an editor and reviewer in different medical journals. He was awarded 3 National Natural Science Foundation projects and was one of the key members of a National Key R&D Program funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). He was the youth committee member of the Chinese Urological Association from 2018-2021 and is currently a sub-committee member of the Chinese Urological Association (2021-present).

Biography
HKU Scholars Hub
ORCID
yungna@hku.hk

For more information or to express interest for this project, please email the supervisor or the specified contact point in the project description.  Interested candidates are advised to enclose with your email:

  1. your CV,
  2. a brief description of your research interest and experience, and
  3. two reference letters (not required for HKUMed UG students seeking MRes[Med]/URIS projects).

Information on the research programme, funding support and admission documentations could be referenced online at the Research Postgraduate Admissions website. General admission enquiries should be directed to rpgmed@hku.hk.

HKUMed MBBS students interested in the Master of Research in Medicine (MRes[Med]) programme may visit the programme website for more information.  

HKUMed UG students interested in the Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS) may visit the scheme’s website for more information. 

Research @ Department of Surgery