The project
This project focuses on individuals with gene alterations (eg BRCA). Dr Emma Woodward and Dr Jamie Weaver aim to learn how pancreatic lesions and changes in tissue lead to developing cancer. Currently, we don’t know enough about how lesions may cause cancer development. They will develop laboratory models from donated tissue and treating the models with drugs. If they can learn which lesions go on to develop cancer and manage to treat them, it may mean we can provide earlier interventions for patients. This project is pre-funding, so they are looking for patients and families to help design the research.
What are you going to do?
They will take tissue and blood donations from a range of patients to develop laboratory models which replicate the conditions which can cause both pancreatic and other cancers. For this, they need also need samples from those patients who have recently passed away. In taking a sample just 60 minutes after death, they can understand more about behaviour in the pancreas, and what therapeutics currently work well to solve problems. If these therapeutics work, they may be able to prevent tissue damage and lesions occurring, which may prevent a cancer developing at all.
Why is this research important?
Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality, because of how late patients present with the disease. Therefore, a key aim is to provide some potential earlier interventions for patients, so that if we think that a person is at risk of developing a cancer, we can prevent the disease from developing to an incurable stage, or even at all. This research has the potential to save lives through early detection and prevention strategies. If you are a patient, or support a patient, please contact the research team. We are very interested in hearing your perspectives on how we can deliver better outcomes for patients and their families, and value your views
How to get involved
For this research, we would like to build a team so that if we secure the money, we have an established group who have contributed to the development of the programme. Commitment is low initially, but you can join as much or as little as you like during the programme, if funded.
Who can take part/who is the opportunity aimed at?
Pancreatic cancer including patients, survivors, carers and loved ones are all welcome, because we will also discuss post-death sample donation, so a whole community approach would be good.
No scientific background or prior experience is needed to take part in this opportunity.
Next steps
Join the focus group: If you are interested in talking to Emma and Jamie, please email Simon (simon.reeds@manchester.ac.uk) quoting the involvement reference ‘PCUK RIN focus group’.
