Oncode Researcher Agustin Enciso-Martinez has received the KWF Young Investigator Grant to investigate whether tumor-derived signals found in the blood could help detect pancreatic cancer earlier and provide earlier insight into treatment response.
Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at a stage when curative treatment is no longer possible. Knowing early whether a treatment is working can also be challenging. Oncode Researcher Agustin Enciso-Martinez, a postdoctoral researcher in the ten Dijke Group at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), is looking for answers in tiny particles released by tumors into the bloodstream.
These particles, known as tumor-derived extracellular vesicles, carry molecular information from the tumor. In previous research, Agustin and colleagues identified a tumor-specific feature on these vesicles that makes it possible to distinguish them from vesicles released by healthy cells, and to selectively detect and capture them from blood samples of people with pancreatic cancer.
With the new KWF funding, Agustin will build on this work to investigate whether tumor-derived vesicles can help detect pancreatic cancer earlier in people at high risk of developing the disease. He will also study whether these vesicles can provide earlier indications of how a patient is responding to treatment.
By looking at what tumor vesicles contain and where they come from, the researchers aim to gain deeper understanding into the biology of pancreatic cancer.
Agustin Enciso Martinez, Oncode Researcher, Leiden University Medical Center.
Agustin Enciso Martinez, Oncode Researcher, Leiden University Medical Center.
“I’m very grateful for this grant, which gives us the chance to follow the clues pancreatic cancer leaves in the blood and turn what we learn into earlier detection and better treatment decisions for patients”.
The project also builds on the mentorship, expertise and collaboration of colleagues across different disciplines. For Agustin, this supportive team environment is essential as the project brings together fundamental, technological and clinical expertise.
Patient involvement has also been part of the development of the project. Oncode patient partners Cor, Carolien and Sako supported Agustin during the proposal stage, bringing the patient perspective into the research.
The KWF Young Investigator Grant supports early-career researchers in establishing an independent line of cancer research. For Agustin, the grant provides an opportunity to further develop his research on pancreatic cancer and explore how these findings could ultimately contribute to earlier diagnosis and better-informed treatment decisions.