Nordic PCPM Forum

The aim of the research is to develop refined and validated predictive biomarkers, building on the participating groups’ previous work and shared expertise. The project is funded through a grant of €1.6 million from EP PerMed under the call “Pharmacogenomic strategies for personalized medicine approaches.”

Prognostic and predictive transcription panels developed by members of the consortium will be transformed using spatial multi-omics methodologies at the spatial single-cell level. This approach will refine the tools for optimal performance in relation to the tissue’s structural heterogeneity, followed by validation in joint cohorts and purpose-designed study framework.

Flowshart SPRINTR

ImageJoakim Lundeberg

Abstract

Markers for personalised medicine in prostate cancer (PC) are urgently needed. Although several candidate markers have been proposed, few have reached clinical use. As treatment escalation moves to earlier stages of PC, more patients may benefit from intensified therapy and improved survival, but also face unnecessary side effects due to the lack of reliable precision-medicine tools. 

This project brings together tumour biology, technical innovation, bioinformatics, and clinical expertise across the Nordic countries, with the overall aim of developing spatially curated multiomics biomarker panels for precision medicine in PC. Prospective validation and clinical implementation through the Swedish SPRINTR infrastructure, combined with close collaboration with patient organisations, will ensure that health-economic and ethical considerations are embedded in this roadmap. 

The project aims to: 1) use spatial multiomics analysis to refine biomarker profiles developed by consortium partners, accounting for clonality and tissue heterogeneity; 2) retrospectively validate optimised biomarker panels in well-defined patient cohorts and datasets; 3) employ tissue-based outcome measures following short-term treatment as a rapid approach to prospectively evaluate the therapy-predictive value of biomarker signatures; 4) use the SPRINTR infrastructure as a testbed for defined biomarker panels in real-world clinical settings; and 5) assess how precision-medicine decisions affect patients’ quality of life and develop a communication roadmap that supports shared decision-making. 

By combining well-characterised clinical cohorts with complete follow-up, advanced spatial methods, and a clear pathway to national-level clinical implementation - while integrating the patient perspective - the project will provide a robust foundation for precision medicine in PC in the Nordic countries. 
 

Project consortium - Members

Joakim Lundeberg, KTH, Sweden

Morten Beck Rye, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Kristin Austlid Taskén, Oslo University Hospital

Klaus Brasso, University of Copenhagen

Toumas Mirtti, University of Helsinki

Magnus Klang, Swedish Prostate Cancer Federation

Co-applicants

Sweden: Pernilla Wikström, Karin Welén
Sweden patient representative organization: Magnus Klang and Hans Joelsson
Finland: Andrew Erickson 
Denmark: Andreas Röder and Hein Vincent Stroomberg
Norway: May-Britt Tessem and Ieva Ailte