Blood test to track treatment resistance in advanced prostate cancer
Official title: Cell-free DNA fragmentomics as prognostic and treatment resistance biomarkers in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11249567 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a blood-based DNA fragment test plus AI to spot molecular changes that signal treatment resistance in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $624,431 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA296602-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249567 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are men with metastatic castration‑resistant prostate cancer who are receiving or changing androgen-signaling inhibitor therapy and can provide regular blood samples and follow-up.
✕Less likely to help
Men with localized prostate cancer or those whose tumors do not release detectable circulating tumor DNA are unlikely to benefit directly from this approach.
What this research studies
If you have metastatic castration‑resistant prostate cancer, this project uses routine blood draws to look at tiny fragments of tumor DNA floating in your bloodstream. Researchers analyze patterns of those DNA fragments on standard cancer gene panels and apply machine learning to detect molecular shifts—like changes in the androgen receptor or a switch to neuroendocrine behavior—that can make therapies stop working. The approach is repeated over time in patients enrolled in prospective trials so clinicians can spot resistance earlier than with PSA or imaging alone. The goal is a low-cost, widely available liquid biopsy that could help guide which therapy to try next.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: It could detect treatment resistance earlier and help doctors choose more effective next treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies using circulating tumor DNA and fragment patterns with machine learning have shown promise for cancer monitoring, but applying fragmentomics specifically to predict ARSI resistance and neuroendocrine shifts in mCRPC is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhao, Shuang — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Zhao, Shuang
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding how aggressive cell states emerge in castration-resistant prostate cancer
A research project aims to uncover the hidden cell states that help prostate cancer resist standard therapy and how these states arise early in tumor development.
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Enhancer RNA CYP11A1-eRNA in castration-resistant prostate cancer
Researchers are testing a new RNA-based target, CYP11A1-eRNA, to see if blocking it can hamper the growth of castration-resistant prostate cancer in the lab and animal models.
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Targeted Immunostimulatory Dual Drug Conjugates for Heterogeneous Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Researchers are testing a targeted therapy approach to help people with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer by boosting the immune system and delivering drugs directly to cancer cells.
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Androgen Receptor Action in Prostate Cancer that Stops Responding to Therapy
This grant supports research to understand why certain prostate cancers stop responding to AR-targeted therapies and to find new ways to target them.
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Hyperactive methylation in a hard-to-treat prostate cancer subtype
Researchers are studying a newly identified methylation-heavy group of advanced prostate cancer to understand its biology and find clues for better treatments.
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Therapeutic Targeting of Lineage Plasticity in Advanced Prostate Cancer
A cancer research effort aimed at understanding and tackling how aggressive prostate cancers become resistant to standard AR-targeted therapies.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.