Dr Mitchell Lawrence is a Laboratory Head in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology and Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University. His research on prostate cancer begins and ends with patients. Working with patient advocates, support groups, community organisations and clinicians, Dr Lawrence identifies critical clinical challenges facing patients. He tackles these challenges through multidisciplinary studies into tumour biology, pathology, and novel therapies. In collaboration with the Melbourne Urological Research Alliance, Dr Lawrence is using patient-derived models to uncover why some patients’ tumours are more aggressive than others and to identify how to treat these tumours more effectively. This is leading to changes in international clinical practice, concurrent clinical trials, and partnerships with industry.