Identification of functional sites of mechanotransduction on syndecan-4 for therapeutic targeting in pancreatic cancer
Markus Hahn
Markus Hahn received the Breakthrough Cancer Summer Scholarship, enabling him to conduct research in Dr. Dr. Stephen Thorpe’s lab at University College Dublin during the summer.
More than 600 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in Ireland, equivalent to 12 per week. Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers with less than 1-in-10 surviving 5-years beyond diagnosis. Progress toward improving survival has been slow and the number of people diagnosed increases every year.
Pancreatic cancer is resistant to conventional treatment options including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. One of the reasons for this treatment resistance is that pancreatic cancer tumours contain a substantial quantity of collagen. This makes these tumours hard and stiff. Tumour cells sense this stiffness, which makes them more likely to spread within the body.
One of the ways cells interact with their surrounding tissue is through a molecule called syndecan-4. All cells have syndecan-4 on their surface, but pancreatic cancer cells express much more syndecan-4 than is typical. Removal of syndecan-4 from cancer cells makes them less mobile, which could prevent them from spreading. This project will assess which part of the syndecan-4 protein is responsible for its function in pancreatic cancer. This will provide for the development of drugs targeting the function of syndecan-4 which could provide a new treatment for pancreatic cancer.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Awards
Best Breakthrough Cancer Research Summer Scholarship Presentation award 2024.
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Start year
2024
End year
2024
Principal Investigator
Dr. Stephen Thorpe
Researcher
Markus Hahn
Institution
University College Dublin
Grant Funding
Breakthrough Cancer Research Summer Scholarship
Linked Breakthrough Research Priorities

Increase research investment into poor prognosis cancers and currently incurable cancers prioritising lung, oesophageal, ovarian, pancreatic, brain, liver and stomach cancers.

Fund the discovery and development of new therapeutics, surgical approaches and technologies, including biological and immune approaches, to improve cancer treatment.

Fund research which aims to improve the effectiveness or specificity of current cancer therapies including investing in biomarkers discovery, nutrition and therapeutic delivery.