Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trials and Research

Our Areas of Pancreatic Cancer Research

Our scientists are working to pinpoint the genetic factors that spur the development and progression of pancreatic cancer, including its high metastatic drive. As we uncover the disease’s biomarkers, we’re opening the door to earlier detection. We’re also discovering the unique properties that make these tumors so resistant to traditional forms of treatment. Our lab-based findings translate to clinical trials of promising new treatments — from targeted drugs to genetically modified immune-cell therapies.

Disrupting Tumor Defenses

Our researchers collaborate with colleagues around the country to understand the biological context of pancreatic tumors. Nearby immune cells, blood vessels and a tumor's internal pressure can make it resistant to treatment. We’re developing new therapies that target a tumor's defenses. They include treatment strategies that combine cancer-killing drugs with new agents that disrupt the tumor’s supportive tissues or alter the anti-cancer immune response.

Devising ways to test drugs in the lab on the tumor microenvironment (TME), not only the cancer cells, helps us unlock innovative treatment approaches. A study by Fred Hutch systems biologist Taran Gujral, PhD, and his colleagues compared the effectiveness of drugs tested on two kinds of samples: the conventional cancer cells grown in a Petri dish and samples Gujral calls “microtumors” — thin slices of tumor that contain cancer cells but also key elements of the TME. The team’s work identified a promising drug for use against pancreatic cancer.

New Targets for Tailored Treatment

A deeper understanding of the genetic changes found within various types of pancreatic cancer, and how these changes promote disease development and progression, could reveal new treatment targets. Our scientists are working to improve patient care by identifying specific tumor vulnerabilities and developing new therapies to better target them.

We are also part of a nationwide effort that aims to deliver the promise of precision medicine to patients with pancreatic cancer. With our collaborators, we are testing a fluid new form of a clinical trial in which pancreatic cancer patients receive the experimental treatment that researchers believe will best target their tumor. If needed, patients can later transition to other treatments that take aim at their tumor’s shifting biology.