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The annual report for postdoctoral traineeship awards "Optimization and Characterization of Prostate Cancer Targeting Peptides" covers the period 02/01/2003-01/31/2004. During the first year, the combinatorial libraries proposed in specific aim 1 were synthesized and screened for DU-145, LNCap, PC3 cell binding (specific aim 2). The libraries were tested for binding of other cancer cell lines such as ovarian, lung and pancreatic cancer cell lines. Several high affinity ligands were identified for ovarian and lung cancer cell lines, but only weak binding ligands for prostate carcinoma cell lines were identified. The following structure activity experiments (specific aim 3) were performed with ligands for DU-145 found previously and resulted in identification of essential amino acids. Furthermore, this ligand has been found to be specific for the prostate carcinoma cell line DU-145. Based on the results of structure activity study the next generation of combinatorial libraries are being synthesized.