Boost to fast-track next-generation prostate cancer theranostics
06 February 2026
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre clinician researcher Professor Michael Hofman will lead a major national research grant to drive the next wave of precision treatment for advanced prostate cancer.
Professor Hofman has received the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia’s (PCFA) 2025 Priority Impact Research Award – Ignite Synergy Grant, securing $5 million to lead a national program further developing theranostic treatments toimprove survival and quality of life for prostate cancer patients.
The project, Breakthrough Theranostics: New Targets, Isotopes, and AI-Enhanced Predictive Biomarkers to Drive Patient-Centred Impact, brings together leading clinicians and scientists from across Australia to develop first-in-class targeted therapies designed to defer toxic treatments and better control advanced disease.
Professor Hofman said the funding recognises both the urgency and the opportunity to transform prostate cancer care.
“This grant allows us to build on world-first clinical trials and push theranostics into the next generation,” he said.
“By combining novel molecular targets, a new radioactive isotope and advanced AI tools, we aim to deliver more precise treatments earlier, targeting cancer cells while minimising harm to healthy tissue.”
The research will focus on two promising new prostate cancer targets, B7-H3 and GPC3, alongside Terbium-161, a next-generation therapeutic isotope that emits high-energy, ultra-short-range radiation capable of destroying microscopic cancer deposits. Peter Mac recently completed the world’s first clinical trial of Terbium-161 in prostate cancer.
The team will also use data from early-phase clinical trials to identify predictive biomarkers and develop deep-learning algorithms to improve early diagnosis and personalise treatment selection.
Professor Jeff Dunn AO, PCFA Chief of Mission and Head of Research, said the award reflects the potential of the research to deliver meaningful impact for patients.
“This is exactly the kind of ambitious, collaborative research Australia needs,” Professor Dunn said.
“Professor Hofman and his team are translating cutting-edge science into real-world solutions that could change outcomes for men with advanced prostate cancer, not just in Australia but globally.”
The multidisciplinary investigator team includes Professor Arun Azad, Associate Professor Luc Furic, Professor Chris Sweeney and Professor Roslyn Francis, spanning nuclear medicine, medical oncology, computational biology and translational research.
In addition to advancing patient care, the program will support the next generation of Australian researchers across radiopharmaceutical science, medical physics, computational biology, urology and oncology.
Team leaders at Peter Mac include Associate Professor Mohammad Haskali, Dr Wenxiao Yue, Dr Katie Owen, Dr James Buteau, Dr Price Jackson, and Dr Anna Trigos.
The program will also lay the groundwork for future commercialisation and global clinical adoption within the next decade.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men, and innovations in targeted imaging and therapy developed at Peter Mac have already reshaped international standards of care.