Advanced ultrasound to find early pancreatic cancer in people at high risk
Official title: Multiparametric endoscopic ultrasound for improved pancreatic cancer screening and characterization
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11248767 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project combines several advanced ultrasound techniques to detect early pancreatic cancers and high-risk precancerous changes in people with strong family or genetic risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $205,700 |
| NIH project number | 5R21CA296688-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248767 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults enrolled in pancreatic cancer screening because of a known genetic syndrome or a strong family history (high‑risk individuals) who can undergo endoscopic ultrasound.
✕Less likely to help
People at average risk for pancreatic cancer, or those who cannot or will not undergo endoscopic ultrasound, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
If you are in a high-risk pancreatic screening program, this work uses endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) plus new imaging methods—ultrasensitive microvessel imaging, shear‑wave elastography, and pulse‑echo quantitative ultrasound—to create a more detailed picture of the pancreas. The team will collect these images during routine EUS exams and use combined imaging markers and computer analysis to tell normal tissue apart from precancerous changes or early cancers. The goal is to make EUS less dependent on the operator and provide clearer, measurable features like blood vessel patterns, tissue stiffness, and microstructure. Over the funding period the researchers will refine the methods and test them in people screened at the center.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help detect pancreatic cancer earlier when surgery may be possible and reduce unnecessary follow-up for benign findings.
How similar studies have gone: Standard EUS and MRI are already used in high‑risk screening and find some early cancers, but combining these particular multiparametric ultrasound techniques is a novel, early‑stage approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Burgess, Mark Thomas — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Burgess, Mark Thomas
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.