Pancreatic Cancer
Why we focus on Pancreatic Cancer
Each year over 8,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer – and almost the same number die of the disease, making it the fifth most common cause of cancer death. The problems are that by the time patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the disease is simply too advanced for curative surgery and traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy make almost no impact on progression. The last decade has seen many more scientists and doctors becoming interested in making a difference to the outlook for patients with this disease. Using the latest technologies to unlock the cancer genome and to dissect the biology of the cancer cell has been hugely rewarding in terms what we have learnt about the genes and molecules that drive the initiation and progression of pancreatic cancer. We believe that now is the time to translate these discoveries into advances in the clinic that will directly benefit patients with – or at risk of developing - pancreatic cancer.
What we do
- We are developing techniques to detect pancreatic cancer at its very earliest stages, using highly sensitive technology to detect markers in the blood and urine.
- We are mapping the changed molecular signatures in pancreatic cancer that could represent new targets for therapy.
- We are exploring new biological therapies that can kill pancreatic cancer specifically (targeted viruses for gene therapy) and activate cells of the immune system to seek out and destroy the disease (cell immunotherapy).
- We are developing new approaches that attack the tissues supporting the tumour to stop it growing.
Key Publications
- Cutts et al. The Pancreatic Expression database: 2011 update. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 39 (Database issue): D1023-8.
- Froeling et al. Retinoic acid-induced pancreatic stellate cell quiescence reduces paracrine Wnt-β-Catenin signaling to slow tumor progression. Gastroenterology 2011; 141: 1486-97.
- Gadaleta et al. A global insight into a cancer transcriptional space using pancreatic data: importance, findings and flaws. Nucleic Acids Res. 2011; 39: 7900-7.
- Dumartin et al. AGR2 is a novel surface antigen that promotes the dissemination of pancreatic cancer cells through regulation of Cathepsins B and D. Cancer Res. 2011; Sep 26. [Epub ahead of print]
- Cherubini et al. The oncolytic adenovirus AdΔΔ enhances selective cancer cell killing in combination with DNA-damaging drugs in pancreatic cancer models. Gene Ther. 2011; Oct 6. [Epub ahead of print]
- Öberg D et al. Improved potency and selectivity of an oncolytic E1ACR2 and E1B19K deleted adenoviral mutant in prostate and pancreatic cancers. Clin Cancer Res 2010; 16: 541-53.
- Tysome et al. Lister vaccine strain vaccinia virus expressing endostatin-angiostatin fusion gene for therapy of pancreatic cancer. Gene Therapy 2009; 16: 1223-33.
Who does the research
→ Click here for BCI senior researchers working on pancreatic cancer.
Major Funders
- Cancer Research UK
- EU
- MRC
- Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
- Pancreatic Cancer UK
