Use of pancreatic disease specimens for biological analysis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Utilisation of samples for the study of pancreatic diseases: biological analysis, biomarker discovery and treatment response
IRAS ID
207897
Contact name
Eithne Costello
Contact email
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
5246, RLUH RD&I Study Number
Duration of Study in the UK
9 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose and treat effectively. In the UK approximately 7,000 new cases a year are diagnosed. Currently, surgery to remove the pancreatic tumour is the best possible treatment, however, only a small proportion of patients are diagnosed early enough to benefit from surgery (for most patients the disease has already spread within the pancreas and to other organs, such as the liver, by the time of diagnosis). Consequently, around 90% of patients die within one year of a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Earlier diagnosis would increase treatment/surgical options and patient survival. In addition, it is estimated that only 10% of pancreatic cancer patients respond to current chemotherapy drugs. Predicting which patients will respond to specific treatments could improve the benefit patients derive from those treatments.
At the Royal Liverpool University Hospital (a large referral centre for patients with pancreatic diseases) and the University of Liverpool, we are taking a number of approaches to improve the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. In order to understand the mechanisms of cancer and to characterise potential biomarkers or molecules important in diagnosis, treatment response or as indicators of prognosis, research must be undertaken.1. Analysing samples such as blood, urine, pancreatic juice or tissue from pancreatic cancer and disease control patients or healthy control individuals for the presence of known or potential protein molecules, genes or micro RNAs that provide evidence of the presence of pancreatic cancer (diagnostic biomarkers) or predict response to treatment.
2. Analysing tumour (and control) samples for proteins or genetic information that provides an indication of whether a patient is likely to respond to treatment (treatment response biomarkers).
3. Isolating cells from tumours and growing them in the laboratory, as well as work on live cancer samples and freshly dispersed cancer cells for the identification of processes by microscopy and other techniques to help us understand why this cancer is so aggressive and to help identify biomarkers that might be detected in blood.
REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1630
Date of REC Opinion
1 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion