Prostate cancer (PCa) effects approximately three million men in the United States every year. About 10-20% of the cases of prostate cancer are castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). This form of PCa is highly resistant to what Is known as androgen depletion therapy and is often fatal. All types of PCa are sensitive to androgen receptor signaling making this receptor the target of existing therapies. Some cancers initially respond to those therapies but then change behavior and become aggressive, these are CRPC. This technology is a novel drug combination therapy that adds a new compound to existing therapies. When the new compound is added to the existing androgen depleting therapies the CRPC cancer becomes much more likely to respond. This new therapy provides a powerful tool to use against the most fatal form of prostate cancer by making the existing therapies more effective.
The technology is a rationally designed drug combination containing a novel electrophilic AR antagonist and a GSH depleting agent and BSO. The combination efficiently downregulates AR/AR-V and induces ferroptosis in enzalutamide-resistant PCa cells. This action appears to increase drug targets and expands intracellular ferrous ions as well as depleting GSH resulting in cell death.