Cancer continues to be an important disease as it holds the number two spot as the leading cause of death worldwide. Among the most prevalent are breast and prostate cancer, with incidences of 2.26 million and 1.41 million cases, respectively (WHO, 2022). Like the global trend, in the Caribbean, breast and prostate cancer predominate and account for 14-30% (breast) and 18-47% (prostate) of cancer-attributed mortality among women and men, respectively. These are among cancers with mortality rates 2-9 times that of the United States (PAHO, 2016).
To investigate the underlying mechanisms of cancer development and progression, cell lines are used as in vitro models. Cell lines describe a group of cells capable of indefinite growth outside the host organism. The most used cell lines in breast and prostate cancer research are MCF-7 and PC-3, respectively. These prominent cell lines, as well as the majority of the others used in research, are of European origin. Meaning the results of drug screenings that use them are tailored toward women and men of European descent. The minority cell lines of African descent are of American origin and with the disparity that exists between the Caribbean and the United States, there exists a need for cell lines of Caribbean origin. Establishing multiple cell lines that capture the heterogeneous nature of breast and prostate cancers in the Caribbean would allow the selection of promising test compounds during in vitro screenings geared toward the populous.
While these tools have made significant contributions to understanding cancer biology and drug development, they are not without their drawbacks. Cells grow and interact with each other in a three-dimensional environment. Hence there is likely to be a difference in response to therapeutic agents used on cells in vitro and in vivo. In vivo models provide a more accurate response to drug therapies than in vitro models as the environment simulates conditions in the cells would normally thrive in.
Before a drug advances to the clinical stage where they are used on human subjects, it must first gain approval after screenings in pre-clinical trials. The earliest stages of pre-clinical trials normally use rodents due to their genetic similarity to humans as well as being cost-effective, high rates of reproduction, ease of use, and the ability to induce human diseases (Simmons, 2008). By using these models in conjunction with the established cell lines of Caribbean origin, the hope is to have therapies targeted towards the populous for greater treatment efficacy.
We have recently developed the first Caribbean cell line, a prostate cancer cell line, acrj-pc28 and since developed another prostate cancer cell line, acrj-pc33 and three breast cancer cell lines, acrj-pc24, acrj-pc24 and acrjpc-24. The project is now sponsored by the NIH Fogarty International Centre emerging global leader award, novel prostate cancer cell lines to address prostate cancer disparity in black men. Usd 520,000.