PROSTATE CANCER IN ALICANTE

Valencia Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (Ivas+I) funded the development and testing of a new detection device cancer prostate in a more efficient and accurate way and less invasive than a digital rectal examination, one of the most common medical tests in primary care.

The technology developed by the La Fe Health Research Institute (IIS La Fe) in collaboration with the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia (IBV) and the Supreme Scientific Research Council (CSIC) will allow improve screening for this tumor, which in Spain is the country with the highest incidence among the male population, with more than 35,000 new cases diagnosed in 2021.

Prototype

The financial contribution of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, under the leadership of Nuria Montes, has allowed progress in previous studies to making the final prototype

and its subsequent verification. For this purpose, a clinical study was conducted to confirm the effectiveness of this new product called Prostacto.

The goal now is to bring medical equipment to market for which IIS La Fe, IBV, CSIC and Network of Institutes of Technology Valencian CommunityThrough their investment vehicle, Redit Ventures, they have formed a subsidiary that is completing clinical trials for certification with the goal of bringing the said product to market in 2025. The company’s turnover over five years is expected to be three million euros. years and get a job 10 professionals highly qualified.

medical ultrasound

The device combines medical ultrasoundguaranteeing precise positioning in the prostate area of ​​interest, and a sensor capable of measuring the stiffness of this area. gland in a much more reliable way, which eliminates the subjectivity of studies such as digital rectal examination. Prostakto not only provides information automatically and with a high degree of accuracybut also features ease of handling, portability and low cost.

Currently prostate cancer screening

This is done by combining different tests. Detection of abnormal PSA protein values ​​through a simple blood test is the most common warning sign, which then needs to be confirmed by touch.

However, in 18% of cases the tumor does not increase the concentration of this protein in the blood, so assessment through rectal route This is the main method of detecting it. It is the technology developed by IIS La Fe that will avoid possible late diagnosis, which, in turn, will lead to improvement survival and quality of life of patients.

Project

“The original idea is simple: to transform any subjective medical information into objective information,” emphasized Dr. César David Vera Donoso, head of the Integrated Urological Translational Research Center of Valencia (NITIUV), who led the development of this project.

To achieve this goal, the medical research center collaborated with other participants in the innovation ecosystem. Thus, IBV contributed to the development and creation of a programmable electronic diagnostic system, and the Institute of Instrumentation Molecular Imaging (I3M), a joint venture between CSIC and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), was responsible for the development and integration into the device of an ultrasound imaging system for prostate imaging.

The initiative is consistent with the findings of the Healthcare Innovation Committee, which seeks to optimize testing and surgical processes to achieve less invasivesy with fewer side effects. Likewise, the initiative falls under the main directions of the Valencian Community’s Smart Specialization Strategy, S3, coordinated by the Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism.