Cryoimmunotherapy

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Norway, with around 5000 new cases and 1000 deaths each year. Globally, almost 1 million cases of prostate cancer are recorded annually, and this number is increasing. We have developed a novel cancer treatment called cryoimmunotherapy (CryoIT), and the aim of this proof of concept project is to verify that CryoIT is more efficient and with less side effects than the therapies which are currently in use. Invasive prostate cancer cannot be definitely cured today. Suppression of the male androgen hormones delays prostate cancer progression; however, with side effects that reduce the quality of life. Even novel drugs with heightened potency are not curative; they can only postpone the disease and will lose effect within months or up to a couple of years. A limited group of patients has been treated with CryoIT, and this has shown very promising results. Metastases have improved and the patients? general conditions became remarkably better. We wish to develop CryoIT to become a general option of treatment for cancer patients. This is based on better effect of treatment and less side effects, as well as a more cost efficient treatment. We hereby apply for co-funding of the verification phase of a novel treatment of prostate cancer, where the patient?s immune system is boosted to attack and defeat cancer. The unique aspect of this approach is that it deals with the problem of cancer cell heterogeneity on a personalized basis. In addition, CryoIT has immune system memory. The CryoIT has the potential to replace current treatment of both early and late prostate cancer, or alternatively, to be a central module of innovative combination strategies to fight cancer. In addition, CryoIT can be customized to various cancer types.