Trial terminated - Nanoscale Company out of business

The primary objective is to develop a rapid in vitro screening assay for detection of pancreatic cancer biomarkers in blood of patients with pancreatic cancer.

The goal of the project is to develop a rapid in vitro screening assay for detection of cancer biomarkers in blood. The aim is testing and optimization of nanoparticle sensors, based on cyanine dyes that are chemically linked to Fe/Fe3O4 nanoparticles via protease-selective consensus (cleavage) sequences. The focus is on the quantitative determination of active cancer-specific proteases in blood via simple fluorescence measurements. The matrix metalloproteinases, urokinase-type plasminogen activator, and cathepsins, are up-regulated in the vast majority of progressing cancers and can, therefore, serve as markers for cell survival/tumor progression, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling/invasion

Inclusion Criteria:

Inclusion Criteria for Pancreatic Cancer Patients:

• Patients will either have a histologic diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma or a clinical picture consistent with pancreatic cancer and will be undergoing surgery or a diagnostic procedure to confirm the diagnosis.
• Patients will have had no prior treatment or surgery

Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Subjects:

• Subjects will have no prior history of any cancer

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion Criteria for Pancreatic Cancer Patients

• Any prior treatment for pancreatic cancer
• Poorly controlled diabetes

Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Subjects

• Poorly controlled diabetes

Patients will be recruited from the University of Kansas Cancer Center prior to any treatment for their pancreatic cancer. Final histology and staging will be recorded and correlated with protease concnentration. Healthy subjects will be recruited from the University of Kansas and Kansas State community.