2022 New Treatment Accelerator Grant - Prof Nigel Turner

Project Summary

Two characteristics of pancreatic cancer that contribute to this dismal prognosis of this disease are the high potential of pancreatic cancer cells to spread and a poor response of pancreatic tumours to conventional therapies (i.e. chemotherapy). One cellular adaptation that contributes to both these features is altered cellular metabolism, where changes in the uptake and metabolism of specific nutrients can enhance invasive potential and contribute to the development of chemoresistance. Such metabolic changes have been explored in some cancer types, but they have not been well-defined in pancreatic cancer, particularly alterations in lipid metabolism. Our project team has discovered a novel lipid metabolism pathway that is activated as pancreatic cancer cells develop resistance to chemotherapy. In this project, the team will test whether targeting this pathway leads to improved treatment outcomes in pre-clinical models of pancreatic cancer. Additionally, the project team will also apply novel expertise in spatial mapping of metabolic changes in intact tumour samples and single cell lipid analysis to identify and test other lipid metabolism pathways with therapeutic potential in pancreatic cancer.