In November 2014 two studies led by Pancreas Centre BC researchers received National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Innovation Grants.
The first study entitled ‘The effects of neoadjuvant metformin on tumour cell proliferation and tumour progression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma’ is led by Drs. Dan Renouf, David Schaeffer, James Johnson and Janel Kopp. The study will investigate the effects of metformin on tumour cell proliferation and tumour progression in pancreatic ductal adenocarinoma. Patients with resectable disease will be treated with metformin prior to surgery.
The second study, led by Dr. Janel Kopp, aims to identify gene expression signatures distinguishing ductal- and acinar-cell derived pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) that may prove helpful in identify PDAC subtypes with distinct clinical outcomes.