Blood markers and scans to find pancreatic cancer earlier
Circulating Biomarkers and Imaging for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer
Combining blood-based molecular markers with CT/MRI scan features to catch early pancreatic cancer in people at high genetic or clinical risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11121817 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would have blood tests that measure RNA, proteins, and small molecules and also have CT or MRI scans; researchers will use those data together to look for patterns of early pancreatic cancer. The team will apply machine learning to link circulating 'omics' signals with imaging features and build integrated predictive models called Multimodal Integrative Analytical Models (MIAM). They will validate biomarker panels found in earlier work across multiple patient sample groups and follow phased PRoBE-style studies to check how well the tests work. The goal is to define risk groups and disease subtypes so screening can be more accurate for people at high familial or genetic risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people without symptoms who have a high clinical, genetic, or family history risk for pancreatic cancer and who would consider surveillance or biomarker testing.
Not a fit: People with advanced symptomatic pancreatic cancer or those without elevated familial or genetic risk are unlikely to benefit from this early-detection work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help find pancreatic cancer earlier in high-risk people, increasing chances for curative treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work has identified and initially validated circulating omics biomarkers in early-stage resectable patients, but integrating those biomarkers with CT/MRI imaging using multimodal machine learning is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sen, Subrata — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Sen, Subrata
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 below.