Liquid biopsy test to guide HER2-targeted therapy for advanced prostate cancer
Official title: Developing a minimally invasive liquid biopsy-based assay to predict and characterizetherapeutic response in a phase II clinical trial for mCRPC
Funded at U.s. Dept/vets Affairs Medical Center · NIH-11300143 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new liquid biopsy test using blood markers to pick and guide HER2-directed therapy for men with advanced, treatment-resistant prostate cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | U.s. Dept/vets Affairs Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Washington, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2026 |
| Project end | February 28, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 1I01RD001526-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11300143 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who may have HER2 expression and are candidates for HER2-directed therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors do not exhibit HER2 targets or who cannot tolerate the proposed therapy.
What this research studies
This project plans a phase II clinical trial to use a minimally invasive blood test to identify HER2 expression in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and match patients to a HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate therapy. The approach looks at ctDNA and circulating tumor cells to refine patient selection and monitor response over time. If successful, the test could help doctors offer targeted treatment to those most likely to benefit, with easier, less invasive monitoring compared with tissue biopsies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Patients could receive more personalized therapy with potentially better effectiveness and fewer unnecessary treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior precision oncology approaches in prostate cancer have shown benefits when selecting patients by molecular markers, but HER2-directed therapy in this context is still being explored.
Where this research is happening
-
U.s. Dept/vets Affairs Medical Center
Washington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jain, Maneesh — U.s. Dept/vets Affairs Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Jain, Maneesh
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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.