A new EU consortium has launched with the aim to reduce pancreatic cancer mortality rate across the continent.
Project Shield, aiming to introduce comprehensive surveillance of high-risk individuals and use multiplex immunoassays to drive early detection of pancreatic cancer in routine cancer screening programmes, is comprised of 26 partners across 13 EU countries including Sweden, Cyprus, and Italy.
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Partners include Swedish early-stage medical device company Reccan, Cyprus’s University of Nicosia Medical School, and diagnostic manufacturer Protavio.
Research by the European Commission (EC) indicates that pancreatic cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer in the EU behind lung, colorectal and breast cancer.
A key tenet of Shield is to target individuals at high-risk of developing pancreatic cancer due to their genetic makeup. According to past research published in Nature, inherited genetic factors in pancreatic cancer “probably explains” 22–33% of pancreatic cancer risk.
Professor Roland Andersson of Sweden’s Lund University Cancer Center and clinical investigator for Shield, commented: “Our goal is ambitious but within reach. Through systematic early discovery in high-risk individuals, we aim to reduce late-stage diagnoses and elevate the five-year survival rate from under 10% to 30% by 2035 within this group.”
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By GlobalDataShield plans to establisha systematic identification of high-risk individuals based on genetic testing and family history assessment, pilot an early detection programme across seven EU countries, and begin integrating low-cost yearly blood tests into local cancer screening programmes.
The consortium stated that in achieving the four-year project’s aims, its partner Protavio will first scale the manufacture of a novel in vitro diagnostic (IVD) it has developed. The blood test is designed to identify biomarkers in blood samples that may indicate early pancreatic cancer. From there, consortium partners plan to pool their expertise towards getting the IVD developed integrated into cancer screening programmes across the EU.
Professor Andersson concluded: “Currently, over half of all pancreatic cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced, metastatic and inoperable stage.
“Shield has the potential to turn this around by making early diagnosis routine and accessible for all who are at high risk.”
