US$3 million national grant to fund pancreatic cancer research

(SACREMENTO)

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is collaborating with TargaGenix and Northeastern University to study pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Often fatal cancers have a median five-year survival rate of less than 11%. The science-industry partnership will receive nearly $3 million over five years through funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the R01 grant program. NIH only awards R01 grants to mature research projects based on sound preliminary data.

Asian American doctor smiling at camera wearing glasses and white coat
Edward Kim, Medical Director of the Office of Clinical Research, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The team will develop a treatment based on the new TGX-1214 chemotherapy combined with cancer immunotherapy. The researchers expect this to be part of a new treatment option for PDAC patients by the end of the study.

PDAC accounts for over 90% of pancreatic cancers. It is usually diagnosed at a late stage, when the disease has spread to other organs. Symptoms are often general and non-specific, such as lack of appetite and weight loss. By the time symptoms appear, the disease is at an advanced stage, making it inoperable and incurable.

Current problems in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

“Surgery, which offers the only real hope of a cure, is a viable option for only a limited number of patients, and current chemotherapy and radiation therapy offer limited or no benefit,” said Gerardo McKenzie, a pancreatic cancer researcher at the University of California at Davis.

Mackenzie is an assistant professor of nutrition. He and UC Davis oncologist and Edward J. Kim, Medical Director of Cancer Center Clinical Research, are the principal investigators of this study.

Man with glasses and plaid shirt with blond hair
Gerardo McKenzie, a pancreatic cancer researcher at the University of California, Davis.

“Modern chemotherapy combinations used to treat PDAC have marginally improved survival outcomes. The median survival rate for advanced disease is still less than a year. The limited benefit of these therapies unfortunately comes at the cost of significant toxicity, including immune system suppression, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and nerve damage, which limits their use to patients with relatively intact function,” said Kim. “And most patients are all still eventually relapse and progress.”

In addition, studies show that new immuno-oncological agents such as anti-PD-1 or anti-CTLA-4 are ineffective in PDAC. This is partly because the drugs create a microenvironment that weakens the immune system and prevents cancer-fighting T cells from entering tumor masses.

“This is why there is an urgent unmet need to develop better therapeutic options for aggressive and resistant PDAC,” said Northeastern University Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Science and Chemical Engineering. Amidji is the Principal Investigator for the Northeast Study and Scientific Advisor for TargaGenix. “We are excited to be collaborating with colleagues at UC Davis and TargaGenix on this study. Given the high mortality rate associated with pancreatic cancer, we are particularly interested in the opportunity to develop TGX-1214 to treat this devastating disease.”

Promising TGX-1214 Combination Strategy for Treatment of Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

The team will use the interdisciplinary expertise of scientists and clinicians to develop an effective treatment based on the combination of TGX-1214 and inhibition of immune checkpoints that block proteins called checkpoints. Immune checkpoint inhibitors help T cells to better kill cancer cells.

Previous research indicates that TGX-1214 is safe and effective in numerous animal studies. In preliminary studies, TGX-1214 potently inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer with complete tumor regression in two preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

The long-term goal of the study is to develop safe and effective PDAC treatment strategies for testing in clinical trials that become available to patients.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center serving the Central Valley and hinterland of Northern California, a region of over 6 million people. Its professionals provide compassionate, comprehensive care to more than 100,000 adults and children each year and have access to more than 200 active clinical trials at any given time. Its innovative research program involves more than 240 UC Davis scientists working together to discover new tools for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Patients have access to advanced medical care, including immunotherapy and other targeted therapies. Its Office of Public Affairs and Community Engagement eliminates disparities in cancer outcomes across populations, and the Cancer Center provides comprehensive training and workforce development programs for the next generation of clinicians and scientists. For more information, visit Cancer.ucdavis.edu.

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