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FORNY20-FORNY2020

A blood test for improved clinical management of prostate cancer

Alternative title: Blodbasert test for prostatakreft

Awarded: NOK 1.7 mill.

Project Number:

249027

Project Period:

2015 - 2017

Funding received from:

Organisation:

Location:

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, with an estimated 1.1 million new cases and 307,000 deaths in 2012. Limitations in the current clinical tools for management of prostate cancer have resulted in over-diagnosis and costly overtreatment, which is affecting the outcomes and quality of life of men. This has led to great focus among the biotech industry on developing non-invasive tests that are able to improve the clinical decision-making process. Scientists at the University of Oslo have identified a novel blood based protein biomarker which is posed to greatly improve clinical management of prostate cancer. A future test based on the invention addresses a clear unmet need for better tools for selection of the appropriate treatment for aggressive prostate cancer, for which there are currently no suitable tools. The test may also be used earlier in prostate cancer management, to differentiate aggressive cancer, requiring treatment, from non-aggressive disease, which does not require intervention. In this setting, the simple test should be well placed to compete with existing, more expensive and invasive tests. The proposed project aims to further substantiate the clinical utility of the biomarker through testing of larger independent patient cohorts, and to identify and integrate an industrial partner who will be in charge of further developing the invention towards a diagnostic product.

Funding scheme:

FORNY20-FORNY2020