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null New blood test aims to detect aggressive prostate cancer earlier

By identifying cancer-specific methylation signals in blood, researchers hope to enable safer, earlier detection of high-risk prostate cancer

SOURCE: The Institute
June 11, 2025

A team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute) is developing a next-generation blood test that could transform how prostate cancer is detected. Led by Shaafat Rabbani, MD, in collaboration with MTL Epitherapeutics Inc., the project uses cutting-edge DNA methylation analysis to identify cancer-specific patterns in the bloodstream — even when tumor DNA is present at extremely low levels.

"What's new is that we can pick up these cancer-specific signals even when they're extremely rare," says Dr. Rabbani. "That's been a major challenge in early detection, and this approach could allow us to identify aggressive prostate cancers much earlier — and more accurately."

Dr. Shaafat Rabbani is a senior scientist in the Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program at The Institute. His project recently received funding from the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE) through the Centre d’entreprises et d’innovation de Montréal (CEIM).
Dr. Shaafat Rabbani is a senior scientist in the Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program at The Institute. His project recently received funding from the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE) through the Centre d’entreprises et d’innovation de Montréal (CEIM).

Currently, prostate cancer screening relies heavily on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which has some limitations. Unlike PSA testing or mutation-based liquid biopsies, the new method targets epigenetic biomarkers — specifically DNA methylation patterns — which are more stable and cancer-specific, particularly for early detection.

The project recently received funding from the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie (MEIE) through the Centre d'entreprises et d'innovation de Montréal (CEIM) commercialization support program. CEIM plays a pivotal role in helping Quebec-based innovators translate scientific discoveries into market-ready solutions by providing both funding and hands-on guidance.

"This is more than just academic research," says David Cheishvili, PhD, Vice President of MTL Epitherapeutics Inc. "We're building local capacity to develop and deploy diagnostic tools that could eventually be used in hospitals and clinics across the province."

"CEIM's support is a vote of confidence in the translational potential of this research — and in the ability of local teams to lead innovation pipelines that benefit patients while strengthening Quebec's life sciences sector," adds Dr. Rabbani.

The first phase of the project will focus on assay optimization and a pilot study using blood samples from Quebec patients. All laboratory analyses will take place at The Institute, led by Dr. Rabbani and supported by internal resources such as The Institute's Biobank and Bioinformatics platforms. The team then plans to move forward with larger clinical studies and begin preparing for Health Canada submission.