Detection of androgen-independent prostate cancer progression and resultant treatment

Unmet Need: Reliable biomarker and therapeutic targets for androgen-independent prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common cause of cancer related deaths in men in the United States. PC is initially androgen-dependent, making androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) the first line of defense in combating the disease. Though this treatment initially reduces tumor size, almost all patients eventually develop androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC), which is resistant to this primary form of therapy and is ultimately lethal.

The Technology: Late stage prostate cancer diagnostic and therapeutic

Researchers at WSU have identified several previously unreported genes associated with prostate cancer and its progression to an androgen independent state. The expression levels of these identified genes can be used to determine the disease state of prostate cancer, whether it has or is progressing to an androgen-independent state. Currently there are limited options for the treatment of prostate cancer once it has progressed to this state. The ability to quickly diagnose the stage of disease progression aids in the implementation of the correct therapy in a timely manner. In addition, researchers have shown that RNAi knockdown of a critical gene significantly reduces androgen-independent growth which could greatly improve current treatment options once the disease state has progressed to this difficult-to treat androgen-independent stage. Also, a subset of the identified genes provide, as another biomarker, significant detection ability of prostate cancer recurrence after a prostatectomy.

Applications:

•        Determine the state of progression of androgen-dependent to androgen-independent prostate cancer via genetic biomarkers and

•       Potential target for treatment of later stage prostate cancer

Advantages:

•       Reliable way to identify progression of prostate cancer from androgen dependent to independent

•       Presents a potential target for androgen-independent prostate cancer, which is currently nearly untreatable with a high mortality rate

•       A subset of identified genes can be used as a biomarker for the determination of prostate cancer recurrence after a prostatectomy

Patent Information:

US national stage patent application issued: https://www.google.com/patents/US20170183739?cl=en

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