“What’s motivating me is that the prognosis is so bleak for these patients. The 5-year survival rate in pancreatic cancer is around 10 per cent. If we can predict the likelihood of a patient’s disease spreading, we can choose the most appropriate treatment, based on the individual status of that patient. So if we can improve their situation a little by contributing new knowledge, this feels important to do. The long-term goal is to be able to find new targets that can improve treatment,” says Linda Bojmar, assistant professor at the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, BKV.
“A dream project”
Cancer originating in the pancreas spreads mainly to the liver. But the spread of secondary tumours, or metastases, does not occur randomly. For several years, Linda Bojmar has been exploring the theory that the original tumour sends out signals that lead to changes in other organs, such as the liver. These changes make it easier for the cancer cells to take root and grow into secondary tumours, compared to when the receiving organ remains unchanged.
Last year, she and her colleagues published the first study to support this hypothesis in humans. They showed that samples taken from the liver when a person is operated on for pancreatic cancer provide information that might predict how aggressively the tumour will behave when it comes to future metastases.
With the support of the ERC Starting Grant, Linda Bojmar will now have the opportunity to conduct a clinical study in Sweden over the next five years. The researchers will take samples from the liver to assess whether it has cancer-related changes at the time of pancreatic diagnosis. This information on liver status will serve as a basis for tailoring the treatment, which is to be compared with standard treatment.
“This is a dream project to implement together with my clinical partners. It gives me a lot of confidence that those who assessed my application find it an interesting and exciting project,” says Linda Bojmar.
Several LiU researchers awarded ERC grants
Yizhou Yang, then with the Department of Science and Technology, ITN, was also granted a Starting Grant to conduct research on technologies to convert carbon dioxide into fuel by using renewable energy such as solar or wind power. Yizhou Yang is now with Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg.
ERC Starting Grants are awarded to researchers who are 2–7 years into their career after their doctorate and have demonstrated independence and very strong research. This year, 478 grants were awarded (12 per cent of all applications), of which 21 to researchers in Sweden.
The ERC has earlier this year also awarded two LiU researchers Proof of Concept Grants, which help researchers further develop ideas from basic research and take the step toward practical application. Colm Nestor, senior associate professor at BKV, received the grant to continue developing a method, Trixi, that identifies women at increased risk of developing certain diseases.
Adam Williamsson, also at BKV, received the grant for a project on breathing cessation during sleep, known as sleep apnea. Read more about these grants and what support LiU offers to scientists who want to take their research further (liunet, login required).
