Turning up the volume on a silent killer: Pancreatic Cancer
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Shannon Nelson is a PhD student at NICB and her project focuses on analysing the genetic basis of Pancreatic Cancer. Shannon recently produced this slidedeck to explain her research for the 2018 DCU "Tell It Straight" competition. "Tell it Straight" is an annual DCU-run science communication competition that challenges post-graduate PhD students to communicate their research to a general audience and panel of judges that have no prior knowledge of their research, using either a presentation or a video. The competition was held on March 7th 2018 in HG22, Nursing Bldg., DCU.
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Turning up the volume on a silent killer: Pancreatic Cancer
- 1. Turning Up The Volume On A Silent Killer - The Study Of The Genetic Basis Of Pancreatic Cancer Shannon Nelson 2nd Year PhD Student NICB
- 2. Pancreatic Cancer • The Pancreas • Produces enzymes • Produces hormones • Pancreatic Cancer • 540 diagnosed in Ireland each year • 5 year survival rate – 8% • Poor Survival Rate • Lack of symptoms • Poor response to therapies • No screening or tests
- 3. Projected Cancer Deaths Rahib et al, Cancer Research, 2014 Pancreas Lung Colorectal Breast Prostate 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030 ProjectedCancerDeaths(Thousands)
- 7. Pancreatic Cancer Patients Non-Patients
- 9. Growing Cancer Cells in the Lab Cancer Cells in 2D
- 10. Growing Cancer Cells in the Lab Cancer Cells in 3D
- 11. • Validation of biomarkers • Earlier detection of pancreatic cancer • 3D cancer model development • Personalised therapy of pancreatic cancer • Better treatment outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients How My Work Will Make a Difference
- 12. Acknowledgements • Dr Naomi Walsh • Dr AnneMarie Larkin • Dr Denis Collins • Dr Alex Eustace • Dr Laura Breen • Neil Conlon • Nicola Gaynor • Alacoque Browne • Prof John Crown
Notas do Editor
- Hello everyone, I am Shannon Nelson and I am here today to talk about my research into the devastating disease that is pancreatic cancer. My work focuses on finding new early detection biomarkers for the disease – a biomarker is a substance when found in the found is indicative of cancer. I am also developing newer and better ways of growing cells in the lab to better represent how they grow in the body.
- To start, I will tell you a little about the pancreas. It is an organ which lies just behind the stomach. And it has two very important functions it Produces enzymes to aid digestion and it Produces hormones to regulate blood sugar There are 540 cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed in Ireland every year, and this number is set to increase. Pancreatic cancer has a very poor survival. Only 8 of each one hundred people will be alive 5 years following their diagnosis, making pancreatic cancer one of the deadliest of all cancers. This Poor Survival Rate is due to A Lack of symptoms, pancreatic cancer is a silent killer. meaning patients are not diagnosed until the cancer has progressed. It also has a poor response to chemotherapies – and becomes resistant to treatment very quickly There are also no screening or diagnostic tests currently available
- This graph shows the projected number of cancer deaths between 2010 and 2030. Research, and drug development has meant that the number of deaths due to other cancers such as breast, prostate and lung are expected to decrease. However, deaths due to pancreatic cancer, as shown in purple, are expected to increase, and it will become the second leading cause of cancer related death in the USA. Therefore, my research into the discovery of early biomarkers of pancreatic cancer is vital, because we know that the earlier pancreatic cancer is detected the better the treatment outcome for the patient
- To help you understand cancer, I want you Think of each cell as a Swiss watch Just as cogs in the watch work to move the other cogs to tell time, the genes within our cells act in a pathway making other genes activate. These gene pathways are responsible for different functions such as the production of enzymes, and hormones, cell division, and for recognising mistakes in the genetic code and inducing cell death.
- Cancer is when there are changes to the DNA in the genes in these pathways, and they don’t work properly. The cell is then able to change its function and divide faster, allowing the cells to grow out of control This uncontrolled division of the cell is what causes the tumour
- To identify new early detection biomarkers for pancreatic cancer, we are looking for these changes in the DNA
- In order to do this, a study was done looking at the changes which occur more frequently in the DNA of people with pancreatic cancer compared to those who don’t have pancreatic cancer.
- This study found that changes in the DNA of pancreatic cancer patients occurred in genes in several different pathways, including a pathway of genes which are implicated in a heritable form of diabetes. My PhD will work to study these pathways and to see if they can be used as biomarkers of pancreatic cancer.
- In order to aid my research into biomarkers of pancreatic cancer, I am developing anew and better way of growing cancer cells. The usual method of growing cells in the lab is to grow them flat in a flask, as shown here, which does not reflect how they act in the pancreas.
- I have been developing a of growing cancer cells from patient samples. These cells are grown in 3D clusters, so that they reflect how the pancreatic cancer cells develop in the body. Here are some of the patient cells which I have successfully grown
- So why is my research important? Validation of the biomarkers of pancreatic cancer could be used to make a diagnostic test which is not currently available, allowing for screening and earlier detection of pancreatic cancer The development of 3D pancreatic cancer clusters will allow for better research in the lab. These 3D clusters could also be made from each patient’s tumour when they are diagnosed, can be used to screen multiple chemotherapy treatments, to ensure they get a treatment which will work to kill their cancer. This will result in Better treatment outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients, and help to turn up the volume on this silent killer
- I would like to thank you all for listening, and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank my supervisor Naomi Walsh, and the cancer research group in the NICB. Thank you!