Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at 19.00:XNUMX p.m.

Debate in Spanish

Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest in the world; Only 5% of patients survive more than five years after diagnosis and 75% of them do not survive the first year. Every day, more than 1.000 people around the world are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Of them, approximately 985 will die. It is so lethal because during the early stages, when the tumor would be treatable, there are usually no symptoms. The symptoms are so nonspecific that between 80 and 85% of patients are diagnosed in advanced stages.

Doctors María Abad and María Vicent are researchers specializing in this type of cancer and are leading innovative projects to fight this deadly disease.

Dr. María Abad's project maintains that the exosomes that tumor cells use to communicate with each other contain micropeptides. The function of many of these molecules, which form proteins, is unknown because they have always been ignored as they fall into the realm of the so-called evil. Junk DNA. The research focuses on analyzing which micropeptides pancreatic cancer uses to promote disease progression, with the intention of finding new biomarkers and therapies.

Dr. María Vicent's project aims to design nanoparticles that contain chemotherapy drugs capable of selectively killing pancreatic tumor cells without damaging the rest of the healthy cells and organs. In addition, the researcher wants to develop a nanovaccine to take advantage of the patient's immune system and thus prevent tumor recurrence years later. In this way, she hopes to increase the life expectancy of these patients.

We need more innovation and research to address this disease optimally, so that its incidence and fatality decrease. But how is it most efficient to approach it? How important is early detection in this case and how can we address it? Can we cure pancreatic cancer and prevent its recurrence? Are we close to having a liquid biopsy system available that allows pancreatic cancer to be detected early? What therapeutic options currently exist against pancreatic cancer? Are there many active clinical trials or not enough? What innovations do you think may be most successful against pancreatic cancer in the coming years? And, in general, what are the new paradigms in oncological research or the new technologies to address it? Do you think cancer can become a chronic and non-lethal disease?

Speakers:

• Dr. María Abad, group leader at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIO), in Barcelona.
• Dr. María Vicent, group leader at the Príncipe Felipe Research Center, in Valencia.

Moderator:

• Jessica Mouzo, journalist El País.