Androgen-independent treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer

This technology describes a dual-pathway targeting approach to effectively treat castration-resistant prostate cancers.

Unmet Need: Effective treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer

Treatment approaches for prostate cancer often include surgery and radiation combined with androgen deprivation therapy and medical castration. However, about one-third of men experience relapse despite these approaches, resulting in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Currently, the only available treatment for CRPCs targets the androgen receptor, and many CRPC tumors can develop resistance to this treatment. Therefore, there is a pressing need for CRPC treatments capable of inhibiting tumor growth independently of the androgen receptor pathway.

The Technology: Ferroptosis-based prostate cancer treatment

This technology is an approach to overcome castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) by inducing tumor cell death without targeting the androgen receptor. The treatment works by inducing ferroptosis, or cell death caused by loss of iron homeostasis, in prostate epithelial cells by targeting the signaling and metabolic pathways. This technology has the potential to overcome treatment-resistant CRPC.

This technology has been validated in vivo using mouse models.

Applications:

  • Treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CPRC)
  • Treatment for other cancers via ferroptosis induction
  • Research tool for studying ferroptosis induction
  • Diagnostic tool to predict patient response to ferroptosis-based treatments

Advantages:

  • Targets tumors that have gained resistance or no longer respond to existing treatments
  • May augment traditional therapies (e.g., androgen deprivation therapy) to improve efficacy
  • Provides a different avenue for oncogenic treatment design

Lead Inventor:

Michael Shen, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending

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