News

Pancreatic cancer is an extremely challenging cancer to treat, in part due to symptoms often going undetected until the cancer is in its advanced stages. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 57,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020, and the disease will cause more than 47,000 deaths. The incidence of pancreatic cancer increased between 2007 and 2016, the latest period for which data are available.

Fortunately, laboratory and clinical studies being conducted at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and across the country are focused on generating insights on the causes of the disease, creating novel treatments and improving outcomes.

Learn about pancreatic cancer research underway at the Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence, as well as recent grants, honors and awards:

UNC Lineberger pancreatic cancer researchers receive five-year, $4.6 million grants from National Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded $9.3 million in support of two five-year research projects from researchers in the UNC Lineberger Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence (PCCE) in partnership with other institutions as part of the Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Stromal Reprogramming Consortium (PSRC).

Yeh, Maduekwe selected as inaugural recipients of the Lustgarten Foundation’s LEAD Project grant

The Lustgarten Foundation has awarded its inaugural Lustgarten Equity, Accessibility, and Diversity (LEAD) Project grant to Jen Jen Yeh, MD, in support of her PROmoting CLinicAl TrIal EngageMent for Pancreatic Cancer App Study (PROCLAIM Study).

Pylayeva-Gupta published in Cell Reports Medicine

UNC Lineberger’s Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD, was the corresponding author of a paper published in Cell Reports Medicine that examined how B cells might be reprogrammed to improve anti-tumor immune response in pancreatic cancer. The study was led by a former research associate, Rahul Mirlekar.

PanCAN backs Der and Bryant Labs with two-year, $340,000 award

UNC Lineberger’s Channing Der, PhD, and Kirsten Bryant, PhD, are among seven recipients of the inaugural Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) Therapeutic Accelerator Collaborative Award, which provides a total of $340,000 in grant support over two years.

Catching Cancer Early in the High-Risk Pancreatic Cancer Clinic

We recommend annual screening for patients who are at elevated risk due to family history or genetic mutations, so we can discover pancreatic cancer when it can still be addressed with surgery. Screening at the High-Risk Pancreatic Cancer Clinic involves conducting MRI scans and endoscopic ultrasound to spot these cancers.

UNC Lineberger earns National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence designation

The designation is in recognition of UNC Lineberger's multidisciplinary pancreatic cancer care program and its focus on providing the best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life for patients.

Welcoming Ashwin Somasundaram

We’re proud to announce Ashwin Somasundaram, MD, as the newest member of the UNC Lineberger Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence (PCCE).

A Conversation with Dr. Somasundaram

“In my opinion, there seems to be no greater puzzle worth solving for my generation than the treatment of cancer,” says Dr. Somasundaram, who recently joined the PCCE.

Mark Foundation awards Pylayeva-Gupta three-year, $750,000 research grant

Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD, is a recipient of The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Emerging Leader Award. The funding will support her research focused on reprogramming B cell fate and function in cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence to leverage research and clinical care innovations for patients

The Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence brings together researchers, clinicians and staff to provide excellent multidisciplinary patient care and generate research discoveries that can be translated into new, more effective approaches for pancreatic cancer.

Yeh, Lipner lead study in JCI Insight

Jen Jen Yeh, MD, and Matthew Lipner reported in the journal JCI Insight they have discovered a potential treatment strategy to reduce resistance to a chemotherapy combination used to treat pancreatic cancer.

Researchers use innovative ideas to help fight pancreatic cancer

Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD, and Paul Dayton, PhD, are studying whether they can use tiny, engineered microbubbles and ultrasound imaging to improve the activation of the immune system against pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers.

Researchers find out what’s keeping cancer-killing T-cells away from pancreatic cancer tumors

Researchers led by Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD, have identified the culprit that keeps cancer-killing immune cells from reaching pancreatic cancer tumors. Their findings were published in the journal Cancer Immunology Research.

Pancreatic cancer tumor classification could optimize treatment choices

In Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, Jen Jen Yeh, MD, and Naim Rashid, PhD, reported findings for how two subtypes of pancreatic cancer respond to treatments differently. Importantly, they found that one subtype of the disease showed poor responses to common therapies and also had worse survival outcomes.

Researchers find KRAS gene mutation differences have implications for pancreatic cancer treatment

The KRAS gene is commonly mutated in cancer. In the journal Cancer Discovery, researchers led by Channing Der, PhD, and Aaron Hobbs, PhD, reported details of the role of the KRAS G12R mutation in pancreatic cancer, and therapeutic strategies that might work for this mutation type. By studying unique differences in DNA mutations within the same gene, researchers are working to uncover the mutation-specific mechanisms that drive cancerous growth.

Researchers develop method for separating tissue types in tumor samples

A dense web of tissue can surround pancreatic cancer tumors, impeding treatment and sometimes acting as a barrier to the tumor’s spread. Jen Jen Yeh, MD, and colleagues have published a paper in Nature Communications that demonstrates their novel approach to distinguishing cancerous tissue from the surrounding connective tissue and stromal cells as well as from immune cells in the tumor’s environment in order to drive personalized treatment strategies.

Bryant recognized as Forbeck Scholar

Kirsten Bryant, PhD, will attend the Forbeck Forum for a series of talks on “Emerging Strategies to Overcome Heterogeneous Resistance Mechanisms.”

U.S. Army awards grant to Pylayeva-Gupta for study of immune system in pancreatic cancer

The U.S. Army has awarded a $559,799 grant to UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD, to investigate the role of the immune system in promoting pancreatic cancer’s spread.

Der named AAAS Fellow

The honor recognizes Der's contributions to cancer research. His lab's recent findings on pancreatic cancer have led to clinical studies of a new treatment.

NCI awards $2.2M to Pylayeva-Gupta to investigate immune responses in pancreatic cancer

The National Cancer Institute has awarded a grant for more than $2.2 million across five years to UNC Lineberger’s Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD, to support her research into the immune response in pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers.