Identifying personalised drug therapies for gastrointestinal cancers
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identifying personalised targeted therapeutic regimes for gastrointestinal cancers
IRAS ID
285353
Contact name
George Hanna
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Over 60,000 new cases of gastrointestinal cancer (cancer of the digestive tract) are diagnosed in the UK every year. Treatment involves a combination of drug therapy including chemotherapy and/or surgery as a cure or to prolong survival. Drug therapy targets specific cancer molecules to reduce the spread and destroy cancer cells. Currently treatments are offered based on the particular type of tumour diagnosed from a biopsy and the stage of disease.
The objective of this study is to identify cancer genes which are specific to each individual and help inform which treatment will offer the best survival outcome. In order to do this, cancer tissue will be (i) analysed to identify its gene patterns (ii) inserted into an animal model to represent the patient’s cancer profile and (iii) use various drugs in isolation and in combination to find the most effective treatment by assessing cancer response. Ultimately the results will be personalised to that individual and can be considered during treatment planning. The overall aim of this study is to achieve personalised targeted drug treatments for gastrointestinal cancers, leading to improved patient outcomes.
Lay summary of study results:
A gene is a segment of DNA which produces specific proteins for specific types of cells. Cancer cells will store genetic information to help it grow and thrive. Detailed analysis of cancer genes in a laboratory can reveal information about potential proteins that can be targeted in drug treatment. This project profiled the individual genes of patients with oesophagogastric cancer. The genetic combination was inserted into a drosophila fly model to emulate how cancer behaves in humans. A combination of approved drugs were administered to the fly models and survival assessed as a measure of treatment response. This study identified novel potential treatment strategies personalised to an individuals unique cancer profile. This has the opportunity to offer personalised cancer treatment regimes and will inform future research in this area.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/EM/0187
Date of REC Opinion
16 Sep 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion