The grant gives researchers freedom in designing their projects and in use of their money. The grant also encourages collaboration with other institutions and initiation of more projects not originally outlined in their grant application. The grant allows us to do things we couldn't do with other National Institutes of Health funding. Specifically, it allows us to change directions in our research and provides career development funds to attract other investigators. Ultimately, the grant is designed to generate further research ideas.
Typical research is hypothesis-testing.
The therapy is focused on developing antibodies that are attracted to antigens produced by cancerous tumors, thereby allowing the antibodies to attack the tumors. By attaching a radioactive particle to an antibody, the antibody serves as a homing device searching for the tumor-associated antigen and treating the tumor with radiation. We will work to identify the cancer cell factor responsible for increased amylin production and investigate whether this factor or amylin itself are valuable as early diagnostic indicators of this devastating cancer. Other projects funded by the grant include developing and testing tumor vaccines, examining the formation of pancreatic tumors and studying the role of smoking in the development of pancreatic tumors. In addition, researchers will gather molecular genetic data on families that show a proclivity toward developing pancreatic cancer, according to Henry T. Lynch, M.D., director of Creighton's Cancer Center and professor and chair of preventive medicine and public health at Creighton.