Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality in Canada, with lowest five-year survival rate. Despite significant advances for treating other cancers, pancreatic cancer remains largely incurable. New blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) is a critical aspect of cancer growth and spread. Several anti-angiogenic treatments have been in the forefront of cancer therapeutics. However, numerous issues plague current therapies, including side effects and lack of benefit. Neuropilins is a group of novel angiogenic receptors that are involved in cancer initiating/promoting events. Our study is the first to investigate combination gene therapy targeting neuropilins, using a unique method to non-invasively deliver therapeutic genes to suppress cancer growth and spread (metastasis). We will be delivering microbubbles and genes through a vein, with the application of high power ultrasound over the pancreatic tumour. We will perform ultrasound mediated gene delivery (UMGD) studies in a human pancreatic cancer model in rats, where over time it grows and spreads to other parts of the body. We will be following the response to the treatment over time using ultrasound and computed tomography, looking at tumour size and spread. Animals will be sacrificed, to assess responses using various molecular techniques. Our preliminary data suggest that targeting neuropilins has a significant effect (greater cell death and less proliferation) against human pancreatic cancer cells and reduced blood vessel growth in culture. We have successfully delivered genes into the pancreatic tumour using UMGD and expect excellent uptake of our silencing genes into the pancreatic tumours, leading to smaller tumour size, less tumour spread to remote organs and leading to better survival. This research aims to develop an easy and repeated gene delivery in cancer patients, avoiding systemic side effects, which if successful would benefit numerous patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.