Actionable metabolite supplements to improve treatment response in pancreatic cancer

Introduction

The prognosis with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is simply terrible, especially for those that do not respond to chemotherapy, which is regarded as the standard therapy in most patients. More than half of the patients are non-responders and eventually pass away within months.

Need for Research

It is therefore urgently needed to understand the differences among responder and non-responder patients, to develop alternative therapies that overcome the resistance and potentially further extend the survival for both groups.

Hypothesis

A recent hypothesis proposes the key role of the microbiome and the immune response in regard to tumor initiation, progression, as well as response to therapies.

Impact of Diet

Diet, as a variable, introduces an additional layer of complexity, given its multifaceted impact on both the human microbiome and immune system, as our recent manuscript shows. The metabolites produced by gut microbiota are influenced not only by diet but also by a host of other factors.

Project Proposal

In ACT-PC, we propose the use of one or a combination of different microbiota-derived metabolites as a treatment to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy and, at the same time, to boost anti-tumor immunity for PDAC patients.

Overall Goal

The overall goal of ACT-PC is to initiate the preclinical validation of specific microbiota-derived metabolites for improving treatment outcomes in PDAC patients.

Technology Readiness Level

This project is designed to take our Technology Readiness Level from 2 to 4, enabling us to finalize the preclinical development within a subsequent EIC Transition and initiate clinical validation and development soon after.

Implementation Strategy

In implementing the project’s results, we will leverage the PI’s unique network that includes commercial partners and patient organizations.