Programme members Join UKRI Funded Collaboration to Pioneer New Approach to Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Dr Ljiljana Fruk and Dr Bristi Basu are part of a newly funded interdisciplinary UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) project that aims to develop a radically new therapeutic strategy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the most aggressive and treatmentresistant forms of cancer.
The collaborative project brings together expertise across synthetic biology, materials chemistry, cancer biology, advanced engineering and clinical medicine to address the critical unmet needs of PDAC, which has a fiveyear survival rate of less than 10%
Working alongside project lead Professor Cameron Alexander (University of Nottingham), Jennifer Ashworth (University of Nottingham), Dr Helen Mulvana (University of Glasgow), and Dr Graham Christie (University of Cambridge), the multi-disciplinary team will target the tumour microenvironment (TME) of PDAC, which is a dense and dynamic network of matrix, cells, immune components and biomolecules that surrounds pancreatic tumours, that contributes to treatment resistance and poor patient outcomes.
The project will develop an innovative therapeutic concept that combines engineered bacteria, and ultrasoundcontrolled activation of responsive polymer materials, in an attempt to reprogramme the TME, modulate the immune environment within the tumour, and improve treatment efficacy in simple and complex models of pancreatic cancer.
By bringing together complementary expertise across institutions and disciplines, the collaboration seeks not only to drive innovations in pancreatic cancer treatment, but also to establish a platform approach applicable to other solid tumours with complex microenvironments.