Pancreatic cancer research in the UK

Work is funded by a number of sources and is undertaken in dedicated research centres, hospitals, universities and companies

School of Cancer Studies and Division of Surgery and Oncology, University of Liverpool:

Professor John Neoptolemos heads the School of Cancer Studies and the Division of Surgery and Oncology at the University of Liverpool as well as the Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit and the Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre. They undertake extensive research and trials in pancreatic cancer. They have also recently been appointed an NHS National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Unit for research into Pancreatic Digestive Diseases covering both pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

Barts Cancer Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London

Professor Nick Lemoine is the director of the Barts Cancer Institute, a Cancer Research UK Centre of Excellence, having joined Barts and The London in April 2004.

Some of the research work within those centres is directed specifically towards pancreatic cancer and receives funding from many sources. Professor Lemoine's personal research interests include molecular genetic analysis of pancreatic cancer and gene therapy. The Molecular Pathology Laboratory, which he headed at Hammersmith Hospital, moved with him to the Charterhouse Square site and also aims to identify molecular biomarkers of disease progression and treatment response.

Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute:

Dr David Tuveson leads the Tumour Modelling & Experimental Medicine (Pancreatic Cancer) group at the new CRUK Cambridge Research Institute

University College London:

Dr Steve Pereira, Dr John Timms and Dr Mark Weeks are undertaking research to produce valuable data that could be ultimately translated into the clinic in the form of blood tests for the diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Interrogation of UKCTOCS serum bank for existing and novel markers of PDAC. The National Medical Laser Centre undertakes research on Photodynamic Therapy ie treatment of tumours by laser. Initial trials showed that lasers could shrink pancreatic tumours in the use of Photodynamic therapy for cancer of the pancreas

Royal Marsden Hospital:

Under Professor David Cunningham the Royal Marsden Hospital in conjunction with the Institute of Cancer Research has run and is running a number of clinical trials in pancreatic cancer.

Imperial College and Hammersmith Hospital, Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust Research and Development:

As part of an academic centre of excellence, research activity is strong, focusing on microarray analysis of pancreatic tumours, and with ongoing trials including the first gene therapy study for pancreatic cancer in the UK as well as a phase II study of CetCisGem in inoperable cancer of the pancreas. It used to have basic research in pancreatic cancer in the Molecular Pathology Group under Professor Nick Lemoine but that has moved to Barts, London.

St George's Hospital Medical School:

The oncology division has undertaken some limited research which led to trials of retinoic acide in combination with chemotherapy to see if it increases sensitivity.

Oxford Biomedica plc:

Oxford Biomedica is an off-shoot of Oxford University and has developed Metxia. Metxia is a gene therapy which received approval from the UK's Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC) for a two-stage Phase I/II clinical trial in patients with pancreatic cancer. Two leading clinical centres in Liverpool and Leicester supported this regulatory application. Trials are running at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Leicester and will be managed within the Department of Surgery, Liverpool University. Part I has been successfully completed; Part II deals with selecting doseage of chemotherapy.

Leicester General and Royal Infirmary Hospitals:

Within the Surgical Oncology section of the Institute of Cancer Studies the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer Research Groups at the Leicester General and Royal Infirmary Hospitals are working on the detection of pancreatic cancer. In the area of pancreatic cancer one of the major problems today facing astroenterologists, surgeons and oncologists is proving that abnormal areas in the pancreas on scans are due to cancer and not some other abnormal process. The Leicester General group is working together with colleagues at the University of Adelaide Department of Surgery, Australia, on a new scan which should be able to predict with high accuracy whether any abnormal area is due to malignancy.

National Cancer Research Network:

The National Research Register lists ongoing and recently completed research projects funded by - or of interest to - the UK's National Health Service. By clicking on search and then entering pancreatic, pancreatic cancer or pancreas in the search box on the next page on their web-site you can find listings of many trials and research projects in the UK relating to pancreatic cancer.

UK Clinical Research Network Portfolio Database:

The Department of Health has announced its intention to integrate the functions of the National Research Register (NRR) into the United Kingdom Clinical Research Network's (UKCRN) Portfolio Database. This migration is part of the NIHR Information Systems Programme. The NRR will be maintained in its present format as the migration to new systems takes place.

International Cancer Research Portfolio:

Includes the NCRI Cancer Research Database. Click on advanced search and select all available years, United Kingdom and pancreatic cancer to find some of the UK research projects on pancreatic cancer.