Researching the cures

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Dr Stephen Pereira

This project focuses on two enzymes which help cancer cells produce energy. The aim is to see if these can be used as a biomarker to diagnose and predict the aggressiveness of the tumour.

Project Title: Targeting tumour metabolomics: a novel strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic carcinoma

Project Aims: Cancer cells have the ability to absorb up to fifty times more glucose than normal cells, using two enzymes known as M2PK and LDH-A to break it down to produce the energy they need to grow. Dr Pereira believes that detecting the presence of these enzymes could be a good biomarker to both diagnose and predict the aggressiveness of the tumour type and his project will measure the levels of these enzymes in blood from patients. He will also conduct tests to see whether novel drugs that block the enzymes’ actions are effective, either alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy treatments.