Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Pancreatic cancer, being the seventh leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, has dismal five-year survival rates of 8 percent. With limited opportunities of early detection of pancreatic cancer and the current treatment options including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, most patients do not survive. Thus, pancreatic cancer patients are in desperate need of new treatment options. According to the Canadian Cancer Statistics, the five-year-survival rate of pancreatic cancer has been the lowest among 23 different cancers studied due to poor diagnosis-prognosis and limited treatment options. the ultimate goal of my project is to identify more effective treatments for pancreatic cancer. One of the defining features of pancreatic cancer is mutation of a protein named KRAS. Normally, KRAS works by transmitting growth signals from the outside to the inside of the cell. These signals instruct the cell to grow and divide. KRAS normally has an on/off switch. KRAS receives growth signals in its 'on' state. When growth signals are absent, KRAS is in the 'off' state. Mutant KRAS is stuck in the 'on' state, causing uncontrolled cell growth and division that ultimately leads to cancer. Drugs called KRAS inhibitors target mutant KRAS. These drugs act to turn 'off' mutant KRAS and therefore kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, as with other targeted drugs, resistance to the treatment develops, limiting benefit for patients. Through my research, I aim to study how the pancreatic cancer cells develop resistance and use this information to test combinations of KRAS inhibitors with other drugs that prevent or reverse resistance. These studies will provide insights to design new therapies aimed at improved survival for pancreatic cancer patients