Newsroom

Newsroom

• 10 June 2024

  PANCAID 4th Steering Committee Meeting

  We’re excited to announce our fourth Steering Committee Meeting, taking place later this week in Stockholm, Sweden. All work package leaders will gather for an intensive session from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday noon. With many of our partner institutions nearby and our co-coordinator Matthias Löhr from Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm, it’s the perfect location for this important meeting.

• 17 July 2024

  PANCAID Masterclass

  📺 The first PANCAID masterclass is now live! Deepen your understanding of the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by exploring its genetic road in the lecture “molecular pathophysiology of PDAC” by Francisco X. “Paco” Real.

  What are the key mutations and signalling pathways implicated in tumor initiation and progression? The lecture answers these questions and discusses to PDAC subtypes and implications for early diagnosis. The masterclass rounds off by highlighting the importance and capabilities of using genetic mouse models.

  Francisco X. Real, MD, PhD, Senior Group Leader at CNIO – Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, and Professor of Cell Biology at Universtiat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, provided this lecture to PANCAID early career researchers during our 2^nd General Assembly earlier this year.
• 14 June 2024

  PANCAID participates in second Annual Meeting of the EU Mission Cancer Cluster “Prevention and early detection (Screening)”

  The second cluster meeting was organised an hosted by cluster member ONCOSCREEN in Rhodes, Greece and remote, where our coordinators Klaus Pantel and Matthias Löhr gave a presentation on PANCAID’s progress.

• 26 June 2024

  Article in Journal Onkologie

  Prof. Dr. Susanne Sebens (UKSH) and her team, consisting of Dr. rer. nat. Lisa-Marie Philipp, Annika Brauer, and Malte Carstensten, have written an article about the potential of Liquid Biopsy for the diagnosis and early detection of pancreatic cancer. Apart from great educational value, the article also features PANCAID!
  The article was published in German trade magazine Journal Onkologie in the category “continued education”.

  Read the full article (German only) here:

  Journal Onkologie_Fortbildung_Liquid_Biopsy_SebensDownload
• 10 June 2024

  PANCAID 4th Steering Committee Meeting

  We’re excited to announce our fourth Steering Committee Meeting, taking place later this week in Stockholm, Sweden. All work package leaders will gather for an intensive session from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday noon. With many of our partner institutions nearby and our co-coordinator Matthias Löhr from Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm, it’s the perfect location for this important meeting.

• 7 June 2024

  New videos sub page!

  We have a new sub page, all dedicated to our PANCAID videos. Check it out: https://pancaid-project.eu/for-patients-public/videos/

• 5 June 2024

  What is Liquid Biopsy? An interview with Prof. Catherine Alix-Panabières

  The biggest challenge in the management of pancreatic cancer is the inability to diagnose it in time. In PANCAID, we focus on the establishment of a blood test for early detection of PDAC via liquid biopsy. But what is liquid biopsy, exactly? Find out in this interview with PANCAID member Prof. Catherine Alix-Panabières, who is professor of cancerology at the University Hospital Center of Montpellier, France, Director of the Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells, and happens to have discovered the concept of liquid biopsy and circulating tumour cells in cancer patients together with Klaus Pantel in 2010.

  Watch the video on YouTube:

  

• 20. March 2024

  Discovering PANCAID: An Interview with the Project Coordinators Profs. Klaus Pantel & Matthias Löhr

  Join us for an insightful interview with the minds behind PANCAID, Profs. Klaus Pantel and Matthias Löhr, as they unveil the essence of the project. Meet the project coordinators, discover what PANCAID is and how we aim to propel early detection in pancreatic cancer. Gain insight into the project’s scope, and how it unites experts from various countries and fields. Explore PANCAID’s main output – a minimally invasive blood test to detect pancreatic cancer. Learn from the coordinators about the significance of this approach and how the project aims to achieve it by detecting tumor-related components in the bloodstream through liquid biopsy.

  Watch the interview on Youtube.
• 8 March 2024

  International Women’s Day

  Happy International Women’s Day! Today, we celebrate the women of the PANCAID consortium. From researchers, to technicians or project managers, their expertise and dedication are driving forward our mission to develop a minimally-invasive blood test for early detection of pancreatic cancer.

  

  

  

  

  

  

• 6 March 2024

  New publication:

  📣 Publication alert! Matthias Löhr, Daniel Öhlund, Emma Söreskog, Emil Andersson, Miroslav Vujasinovic, Niklas Zethraeus & Malin Sund just published a review on Pancreatic cancer screening challenges & limitations in journal Familial Cancer.

  Congrats ! 🙌

  Title: Can our experience with surveillance for inherited pancreatic cancer help to identify early pancreatic cancer in the general population?

  🔓 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-024-00363-6

• 27 February 2024

  PANCAID’s second newsletter is out!

  We’re thrilled to announce the release of PANCAID’s second newsletter! Dive into the latest updates and insights straight from the heart of our work.

  Missed it? We got you! Simply read it online.

  Want to stay informed on the project? Sign up to our newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/it4vC6

  

• 15 January 2024

  PANCAID: Second General Assembly Meeting

  PANCAID’s second General Assembly Meeting took place at our partner CNIO from 17 to 19 January 2024. During the first half day, the consortium first witnessed a masterclass given by esteemed Francisco X. Real, MD, PhD, Senior Group Leader at CNIO and current chair of the CNIO Scientific Committee on “the topic of “Molecular pathophysiology of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)”. After this stellar lecture, PANCAID’s Early Career Scientists (ECS) each presented themselves as well as their work.

  On the second day, after a warm welcome by the project coordinator Klaus Pantel, co-coordinator Matthias Löhr as well as CNIO members Núria Malats and Héctor Peinado, the meeting commenced with updates on the diverse work packages, plenum discussions and presentation of our Scientific and Ethical Advisory Board (SEAB) members.

  The last day kicked off with a keynote lecture by Ellen Heitzer from our partner MUG on “Liquid biopsy in PDAC – Current status & implications for PANCAID”, followed by updates on the remaining work packages. The meeting was rounded off with valuable feedback from the SEABs and a final discussion led by the coordinators.

• 15 December 2023

  Prevention and Early Detection (Screening) cluster: Newsletter issue 01

  The first newsletter of the Prevention and Early Detection (Screening) cluster, which PANCAID is a proud part of, is now out. Learn more about the individual members of the cluster, their achievements in 2023 and their goals for 2024. Find out more about our synergistic approach here.

  Read the newsletter (PDF) here:

  Prevention and Early Detection_Newsletter_issue 1Download
• 13 December 2023

  🌟 Season’s Greetings from PANCAID 🌟

  As the year draws to a close, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to our amazing project partners for their dedication and hard work. Together, we’ve achieved incredible milestones in this first project year.

  To our partners and the broader community, we wish you a joyous holiday season filled with warmth and happiness. May the upcoming year bring shared success and prosperity.

  Happy Holidays to all!

  Warm regards,
  PANCAID

• 14 November 2023

  World Pancreatic Cancer Day

  Today, 14^th November, marks a significant day globally — World Pancreatic Cancer Day. It’s a day initiated by the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition and dedicated to raising awareness about pancreatic cancer, an illness often diagnosed in its advanced stages and known for its low survival rates.

  Key Facts:

  1. Silent Threat: Pancreatic cancer is often called a “silent” disease because its symptoms can be subtle and easily attributed to other causes. This underscores the importance of paying attention to one’s body and seeking medical attention for persistent or unusual symptoms.
  2. Low Survival Rates: Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates among major cancers. This emphasizes the urgency of early detection and underscores the need for continued research to develop more effective treatment strategies.
  3. Risk Factors: Understanding the risk factors associated with pancreatic cancer, such as family history, smoking, and certain genetic conditions, is crucial. Lifestyle changes and regular health check-ups can contribute to early intervention.

  We aim to take on the the biggest challenge in the clinical management of pancreatic cancer: the current inability to diagnose it in time. Read more on our research approach here.

  

• 31 August 2023

  PANCAID Newsletter – Summer 2023

  🚀Our first newsletter just hit inboxes! 📨
  Missed it? We got you! Simply read it online.

  Subscribe to our mailing list to receive up-to-date information on what’s happening at PANCAID!
  ➡ http://eepurl.com/it4vC6

• 01 August 2023

  World RNA Day

  Today is World RNA Day. A day to celebrate the versatility of ribonucleic acid (RNA).

  RNA, especially microRNA, also plays an important role in our research: Part of PANCAID work package 2 is profiling multi-omics data, where we analyse genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, microRNA and metabolomic data from patients with pancreatic cancer and individuals at risk.

  Read more about RNA Day:  https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/difference/why-is-august-1st-rna-day

• 14 October 2023

  Save the date: UEG week

  United European Gastroenterology (UEG) will host UEG Week, a must-visit congress for gastroenterology. From 14 – 17 October 2023, UEG Week will take place both in-person in Copenhagen, Denmark and virtually. We’re especially excited, as PANCAID co-coordinator Prof. Matthias Löhr (KI), will give the introductory lecture during the session “Autoimmune pancreatitis: The story continues” (14 October, 13:30 – 15:00). Additionally, he will chair the session “Update on chronic pancreatitis: How to diagnose and how to treat?” (15 October, 15:30 – 16:30).

  More info: https://ueg.eu/week

• 22 June 2023, ONLINE

  PANCAID 2nd Steering Committee Meeting

  Our second Steering Committee Meeting took place in a virtual format on 22 June 2023. During the meeting, work package leaders presented and discussed the overall status of their respective work package. With fruitful discussions, the consortium solidified the path for the coming months.

• 21 February 2023

  First press release published

  We are delighted to share the first press release, introducing PANCAID, an EU-funded project to develop a blood test for early detection of pancreatic cancer to the wider public.

  Read the full press release here.

  View other press releases here.

• 12 – 14 February 2023, Hamburg, Germany

  PANCAID Kick-Off Meeting

  PANCAID comprises 17 partners from eight countries (Germany, Sweden, Spain, Austria, Belgium, France, Israel, and the United Kingdom), as part of the Horizon Europe programme and EU Mission: Cancer.

  The project, as well as funding by the EC started on 1 January 2023. The involved scientists kicked off the project from 13 to 15 February in Hamburg, Germany.