Urine and tissue biomarker lab to improve prostate cancer risk prediction
Official title: Core-Biomarker Reference Laboratory
Funded at Old Dominion University · NIH-11191547 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will develop urine- and tissue-based tests and decision tools to help find men with prostate cancer who are likely to have aggressive disease, including those with BRCA2 gene changes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Old Dominion University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Norfolk, United States) |
| Project start | September 2, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $358,748 |
| NIH project number | 5U2CCA271894-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11191547 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are men with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer, men on active surveillance, or men known to carry harmful BRCA2 variants who can provide urine or tumor tissue samples.
✕Less likely to help
People without prostate cancer or those who cannot or will not provide urine or tissue samples are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you take part, the team will study proteins and genes in prostate fluids, urine, and tumor tissue to spot molecular patterns linked to aggressive cancer. They will validate existing urine markers in well-characterized patient groups and build new assays to detect high-grade cancers that MRI can miss. The project will create tests to better estimate risk for men with harmful BRCA2 variants. The lab will produce standardized, clinically robust assays and decision algorithms that are benchmarked for accuracy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these tests could help doctors identify men who need earlier or more aggressive treatment and reduce unnecessary treatment for those with low-risk disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior urine- and tissue-based prostate biomarker studies have shown promise, but combining proteogenomic methods and BRCA2-focused risk subtyping in a centralized reference lab is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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Old Dominion University
Norfolk, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Semmes, Oliver John — Old Dominion University
- Study coordinator: Semmes, Oliver John
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.