Blood test for earlier pancreatic cancer detection
BLOOD-BASED PROTEOMIC ASSAY FOR PANCREATIC CANCER DETECTION
This project improves a blood test to find pancreatic cancer earlier in people at higher risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11380079 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You will hear about a blood test that looks for specific proteins linked to pancreatic cancer using advanced mass spectrometry. Researchers will analyze existing patient blood samples and collect new samples from partner hospitals to see how well the test detects early cancers compared with the standard CA19-9 marker. The team will do detailed lab checks to make the test reliable, refine cutoff values, and test the assay across varied samples and sites. If the validation succeeds, the goal is a robust blood assay that clinicians could use to help detect pancreatic cancer sooner.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people at increased risk for pancreatic cancer, such as those with a family history, known genetic risk, chronic pancreatitis, or new-onset diabetes who might undergo blood-based screening.
Not a fit: People already diagnosed with advanced metastatic pancreatic cancer or patients whose tumors do not release the proteins measured by the test may not benefit from this screening assay.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the test could detect pancreatic cancer earlier so treatment can start sooner and survival may improve.
How similar studies have performed: Mass spectrometry–based proteomic approaches have shown promise and the team has preliminary data suggesting better detection than CA19-9, but larger clinical validation is still needed.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- Baylor College of Medicine — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Ru — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Chen, Ru
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.