Pioneering Research Reveals Potential for Earlier Prostate Cancer Diagnostics

The University of Virginia in collaboration with Manchester UK based APIS Assay Technologies Ltd has discovered Hormone-Upregulated lncRNA within the lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (HULLK) is detectable in non-invasive prostate cancer patient samples, providing a potential new approach for earlier diagnosis avoiding biopsy.

Dr. Daniel Gioeli, Associate Professor, Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology at the University of Virginia, has shown that HULLK could be isolated from urine of prostate cancer patients. He presented the data on the detection of HULLK in urine samples from patients with high grade prostate cancer (PCa) during the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Society for Basic Urologic Research, Inc (SBUR), held in November 2020.

HULLK, an unannotated lncRNA within exon six and the 3΄-UTR of the LCK gene, is dramatically upregulated by androgen in a dose-dependent manner and this hormone-induced increase is completely blocked by the anti-androgen enzalutamide. Remarkably, there was a significant positive correlation between HULLK expression and high-grade PCa in three independent cohorts: the University of Virginia, the University of Texas Southwestern, and The Cancer Genome Atlas.

Dr. Gioeli said: “Virtually all patients with metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) will relapse and develop lethal castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The new data being presented, continues to support the hypothesis on the potential use of HULLK as a biomarker for PCa.”

“The latest data, which demonstrates the presence of this biomarker in non-invasive biofluids such as urine, is an exciting step forward” stated Ian Kavanagh, COO, APIS Assays Technologies. “Our intention at APIS Assay Technologies is to implement HULLK into a clinically relevant signature for early detection of patients with metastatic prostate cancer and provide a guidance for further treatment.”

The goal of the collaboration between UVA and APIS is to evaluate the level of HULLK in PCa patients in order to establish the parameters necessary for a clinical trial demonstrating the effectiveness of HULLK as a relevant Biomarker.

Company CEO Dr. Schorr, added: “Overall lncRNAs are emerging as critical regulatory elements of many cellular biological processes, that’s why APIS is also working with other lncRNA biomarkers in additional cancer related indications.”