We are delighted to share that A/Prof Peter Janes and A/Prof Doug Fairlie have received Pankind 2025 Research grants, allowing them to explore new avenues in pancreatic cancer research that could offer hope for new treatments.
A/Prof Peter Janes, Senior Research Scientist in the Tumour Targeting Laboratory, received a New Treatment Accelerator grant.
This funding will allow A/Prof Janes to pursue research into novel antibody-based drugs to target pancreatic tumours.
He and his colleagues recently identified two proteins that are particularly abundant on pancreatic tumour cells, or on surrounding cells and tissues that support tumour growth.
A/Prof Janes and his team subsequently created antibodies that specifically bind these proteins.
Now, they would like to attach drugs to their novel antibodies to selectively bind and kill pancreatic tumour and surrounding cells.
A/Prof Doug Fairlie, Head of the Cell Death and Survival Laboratory, received a New Treatment Innovation grant.
This funding will allow A/Prof Fairlie and his team to investigate drug combinations targeting critical survival factors to improve the efficacy of pancreatic cancer treatments.
Using drugs called BH3-mimetics to block the cancer’s pro-survival proteins, the team hopes that other treatments will work more effectively in pancreatic cancer.
With pancreatic cancer remaining one of the most difficult-to-treat cancers, more research in this space is urgently needed. It is the eighth most diagnosed cancer in Australia, with just a 13% 5-year survival rate.
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute is home to several laboratories researching more effective, tolerable and accessible treatment options for pancreatic cancer.
Congratulations to both of our talented researchers on receiving these Pankind Research Grants, and we look forward to hearing about the results from this research.