New hope on the horizon?

Researchers from the University of Oxford are investigating blood “markers” in work funded by Pancreatic Cancer UK. They want to discover if it is possible to detect cancer in people currently symptom free, with the aim of developing a test to aid earlier diagnosis.

A drug used for 70 years to help alcoholics quit drinking could be “repurposed” to treat pancreatic cancer. In the lab, Disulfiram kills pancreatic cancer stem cells but stays in the bloodstream only minutes. Professor Weiguang Wang and a team at Wolverhampton are investigating whether wrapping it in “nanoparticles” will extend its lifespan. If successful, the drug could be ready for clinical trials within a couple of years.

Cancer Research UK recently announced funding for a new £10 million programme, the PRECISION Panc study. The project, led by Professor Andrew Biankin at the University of Glasgow, aims to ensure that every patient can get the right treatment at the right time, giving them the best chances of survival.