With only 15 out of 164 applications awarded, the team of Dr. Prof Ilse Rooman has been granted the Flanders (FWO) - China (NSFC) Bilateral Research Program. She will combine forces with Dr. Jianmin Wu (Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute).
Pancreatic cancer is becoming more common, but it’s difficult to detect early and overall doesn’t respond well to treatments. The most common type is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which makes up 90% of cases. However, this project focuses on a rarer and more aggressive form called Adenosquamous Cancer of the Pancreas (ASCP). ASCP accounts for less than 5% of pancreatic cancers and doesn’t have its own specific treatment options yet.
ASCP is especially challenging because these tumors have two different types of cells, adenocarcinoma and squamous, within the same tumor. This tumor behavior is not yet fully understood. Researchers leading this project are experts in pancreatic cancer and plan to use advanced tools to study it at the single-cell level. They aim to uncover how tumor cells change and test new ways to treat these cancers based on their findings. In addition to focusing on ASCP, the project hopes to improve our understanding of how pancreatic cancer cells adapt and change overall. This could also lead to better treatments for the common form of pancreatic cancer (ductal adenocarcinoma).