Unmet Need
Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the male population; roughly one out of ten men will be diagnosed at some point in their lives. Efficient screening and accurate diagnosis is a public health imperative due to the large potential patient population. Prostate cancer is usually diagnosed following an abnormal physical exam, blood work, and a tissue biopsy. Surprisingly, the majority of the approximately one million prostate biopsies performed annually in the U.S. find no cancer. Moreover, prostate biopsies often detect clinically insignificant cancers leading to unnecessary treatment and repeat biopsies. Development of noninvasive and more accurate methods of prostate cancer detection, particularly of aggressive/high-risk cancers, will reduce unnecessary biopsies and improve prostate cancer management.
Technology Overview
Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a noninvasive diagnostic test that is able to detect prostate cancer from cells shed into a simple urine sample. The technology takes advantage of differential RNA expression between normal and cancer prostate cells using RNA in situ hybridization (RISH). A panel of RISH probes were selected from RNA sequencing data that identified RNA markers specific to prostate cancer. RISH probes produce a fluorescent signal with higher sensitivity than immunohistochemistry staining and are capable of differentiating between normal and cancer prostate cells. Cancer risk can also be assessed by clinically relevant biomarkers.
Stage of Development
The inventors have demonstrated proof-of-concept by detecting and analyzing prostate cancer cells in patients’ urine samples.
Publications
Eskra JN, Rabizadeh D, Zhang J, Isaacs WB, Luo J, Pavlovich CP. Specific Detection of Prostate Cancer Cells in Urine by RNA In Situ Hybridization. J Urol. 2021 Jul;206(1):37-43. doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000001691. Epub 2021 Feb 22. PMID: 33617332.
