Application of Quantum Detection-Driven Artificial Intelligence Algorithms for Single-Molecule cfDNA Characterization in the Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer

November 15, 2025 updated by: Ren Shancheng, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital
This research project aims to develop a novel blood testing method integrating cutting-edge quantum sensing and artificial intelligence technologies to achieve precise, non-invasive early diagnosis of prostate cancer. The research will employ quantum sensors to perform ultra-high-sensitivity measurements of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) in blood, thereby training a dedicated AI diagnostic model. The ultimate objective is to establish the diagnostic efficacy of this approach through clinical validation, providing clinicians with a novel diagnostic tool capable of significantly reducing unnecessary prostate biopsy procedures.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
1100

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Shancheng Ren, MD,PhD

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Duocai Li

Study Locations

  • China
    • Beijing Municipality
      • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100021
        • Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
        • Contact:
    • Guangdong
      • Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 510120
        • The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
    • Jiangsu
      • Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
        • Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital
      • Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
        • The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University
        • Contact:
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 201209
        • Shanghai Changzheng Hospital
    • Sichuan
      • Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610041
        • West China Hospital, Sichuan University
        • Contact:
    • Zhejiang
      • Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
        • Ningbo No. 1 Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Males aged 18-80 years with elevated PSA (>4 ng/ml) and clinical indications for prostate biopsy.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Male, aged 18-80 years;
  2. PSA > 4 ng/ml;

  3. Patients meeting criteria for prostate biopsy:

    • fPSA/PSA < 0.16 or PSA D > 0.15 or PSA V > 0.75; ② Positive digital rectal examination (DRE); ③ Imaging studies (ultrasound/MRI) showing suspicious lesions.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients diagnosed with any malignant tumour within the past five years;
  2. Patients who have undergone transurethral resection or enucleation of the prostate;
  3. Patients who have previously received treatment for prostate cancer, including but not limited to endocrine therapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy;
  4. Patients on long-term anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy (anticoagulants discontinued for less than one week);
  5. Patients who have received any form of tumour treatment prior to enrolment blood sampling, including surgery, radiotherapy/chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy;
  6. Concurrent severe systemic diseases deemed by the investigator likely to interfere with trial treatment, evaluation, or compliance, including serious respiratory, circulatory, neurological, psychiatric, gastrointestinal, endocrine, immunological, or urological disorders;
  7. Organ transplant recipients or individuals with prior non-autologous (allogeneic) bone marrow or stem cell transplantation;
  8. Subjects who have undergone blood transfusion within one month prior to blood sampling;
  9. Patients currently participating in other clinical trials, or who have participated in other clinical trials within the past year;
  10. Patients deemed unsuitable for this clinical trial by the investigator;
  11. Patients meeting any of the above criteria shall not be eligible for inclusion as subjects.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Retrospective Testing Cohort
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will utilize archived plasma samples from a historical patient population with confirmed diagnoses (prostate cancer vs. controls). The objective is model development. The intervention involves analyzing these stored samples using the quantum sensing platform to extract multi-modal cfDNA features (e.g., fragmentomics, methylation). This data is then used to train and optimize the initial AI diagnostic algorithm, establishing the core model before prospective validation.
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will prospectively enroll new patients with suspected prostate cancer from the same institution as testing cohort. The objective is initial model validation. The intervention entails collecting pre-biopsy blood samples from these participants. The cfDNA from these fresh samples is analyzed using the locked model from the training phase. The model's predictions are then compared against the gold-standard prostate biopsy results to assess initial diagnostic performance.
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will prospectively recruit patients from multiple independent clinical centers. The objective is to test the model's generalizability. The intervention involves standardized blood collection across all external sites, with samples sent to a central lab for blinded cfDNA analysis using the finalized, locked-down model.
Prospective Internal Validation Cohort
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will utilize archived plasma samples from a historical patient population with confirmed diagnoses (prostate cancer vs. controls). The objective is model development. The intervention involves analyzing these stored samples using the quantum sensing platform to extract multi-modal cfDNA features (e.g., fragmentomics, methylation). This data is then used to train and optimize the initial AI diagnostic algorithm, establishing the core model before prospective validation.
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will prospectively enroll new patients with suspected prostate cancer from the same institution as testing cohort. The objective is initial model validation. The intervention entails collecting pre-biopsy blood samples from these participants. The cfDNA from these fresh samples is analyzed using the locked model from the training phase. The model's predictions are then compared against the gold-standard prostate biopsy results to assess initial diagnostic performance.
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will prospectively recruit patients from multiple independent clinical centers. The objective is to test the model's generalizability. The intervention involves standardized blood collection across all external sites, with samples sent to a central lab for blinded cfDNA analysis using the finalized, locked-down model.
Prospective external Validation Cohort
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will utilize archived plasma samples from a historical patient population with confirmed diagnoses (prostate cancer vs. controls). The objective is model development. The intervention involves analyzing these stored samples using the quantum sensing platform to extract multi-modal cfDNA features (e.g., fragmentomics, methylation). This data is then used to train and optimize the initial AI diagnostic algorithm, establishing the core model before prospective validation.
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will prospectively enroll new patients with suspected prostate cancer from the same institution as testing cohort. The objective is initial model validation. The intervention entails collecting pre-biopsy blood samples from these participants. The cfDNA from these fresh samples is analyzed using the locked model from the training phase. The model's predictions are then compared against the gold-standard prostate biopsy results to assess initial diagnostic performance.
Diagnostic test: Quantum Detection
This cohort will prospectively recruit patients from multiple independent clinical centers. The objective is to test the model's generalizability. The intervention involves standardized blood collection across all external sites, with samples sent to a central lab for blinded cfDNA analysis using the finalized, locked-down model.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) for the predictive model in the general population for prostate cancer.
Time Frame: Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Sensitivity of the predictive model in detecting prostate cancer within the general population.
Time Frame: Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Specificity of the predictive model in detecting prostate cancer within the general population.
Time Frame: Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Through primary completion which may take 12 months.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Area under the ROC curve for the predictive model in identifying prostate cancer within the PSA grey zone cohort.
Time Frame: Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Sensitivity of the predictive model in identifying prostate cancer within the PSA grey zone cohort.
Time Frame: Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
The specificity of the predictive model in identifying prostate cancer among individuals in the PSA grey zone.
Time Frame: Through primary completion which may take 12 months.
Through primary completion which may take 12 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Shanghai Changzheng Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
West China Hospital
The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University
The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University
Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital
First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 15, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 15, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 20, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 20, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 15, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CaPS

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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