NI Scientists Make Major Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough

Ulster University scientists have made a major breakthrough in the global fight against pancreatic cancer.

The work, led by researchers at Ulster University, has revealed the potential of a new, minimally invasive treatment, activated by harmless sound waves, also known as ultrasound.

Initial tests on the most common type of pancreatic tumour called Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), undertaken at Ulster University's Biomedical Sciences Research Institute in Coleraine, have shown a five-fold reduction in tumour size, making it potentially one of the most significant breakthroughs in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in recent years.

Ulster University Professors John Callan and Tony McHale have teamed up with University of Oxford's Professor Eleanor Stride and one of Northern Ireland's top pancreatic cancer surgeons, Mr Mark Taylor, to produce the minimally invasive treatment that has the potential to significantly improve the outcome for pancreatic cancer patients.

Ulster University's Norbrook Chair of Pharmaceutical Science, Professor John Callan, said: "In what is a highly novel and targeted technique, our team has developed tiny oxygen filled microbubbles which have a non-active drug attached to the surface.

"After the microbubbles have been delivered by injection, they are purposely burst in the tumour using harmless sound waves, releasing the oxygen and non-active drug. These sound waves also activate the drug, a treatment known as sonodynamic therapy (SDT), making it kill the tumour cells.

"Because we can control exactly where the sound waves go, we can selectively target the tumour and spare healthy tissue making this a highly targeted therapy with reduced side-effects. This really is a groundbreaking development and one of the most promising advances in pancreatic cancer research for decades."

(CD)