Andrew Goldstein, Ph.D. 

Andrew Goldstein, Ph.D., investigates the role of epithelial progenitor cells in the formation of tumors and in the development of treatment-resistant cancer. Epithelial progenitor cells give rise to the cells that make up epithelial tissues, which line all of the organs and cavities inside the body. Previous research has established that normal prostate epithelial progenitor cells and aggressive prostate cancer cells possess similar characteristics. Goldstein studies epithelial progenitor cells in order to uncover the cellular and molecular changes that initiate prostate cancer and cause cancer progression and resistance to treatment. His research goals are to inform the development of new drugs that inhibit these changes and stop progression of the disease, as well as increase early detection of prostate cancer through improved screening methods.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. About one man in 39 will die of prostate cancer in his lifetime, and an estimated 180,000 new cases of the disease are reported annually in the United States. Goldstein’s research on prostate cancer began during his graduate work in the lab of Dr. Owen Witte, studying epithelial progenitor cells that can increase cancer risk. Goldstein and Witte’s work included the first demonstration of a cell-of-origin for human prostate cancer, a discovery that could lead to the development of better tools for prediction, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Goldstein has expanded the research to address the effects of aging and inflammation on epithelial progenitor cells that initiate cancer. His group discovered that a particular type of progenitor cell, called luminal progenitors, are expanded in aging mouse and human prostates and may contribute to the increased risk of prostate cancer with advanced age.

Goldstein also seeks to define metabolic regulators of progenitor cells and prostate cancer. As tumor cells develop resistance to standard therapies, they change their preferences for which nutrients they consume to fuel their growth. His lab is studying how to take advantage of this shift in nutrient requirements to starve the tumor cells and prevent the disease from progressing. This approach could lead to new therapeutic strategies to reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer.

Goldstein earned his doctorate degree in molecular biology from UCLA.