Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with only about 13% of patients surviving five years after diagnosis. Current treatments for this cancer include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. However, these therapies are not effective and lead to a limited response in patients. Most pancreatic tumors have a mutation in a gene called KRAS, that acts as a driver. My research aims to create a new treatment using cancer killing-viruses to deliver small molecules called microRNAs directly to tumor cells. These microRNAs can silence the KRAS mutation and block another protein called PD-L1, that helps cancer hide from the immune system. By doing this, we hope to both kill cancer cells directly and boost the body's natural immune response to fight the tumor. I will test this therapy in lab models, patient derived tumor samples, and mice to see if it effectively stops tumor growth and activates the immune system. This innovative approach could lead to more effective and less toxic treatments for pancreatic cancer, giving new hope to patients facing this challenging disease.