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VUB Researchers Wear Purple on World Pancreatic Cancer Day to Raise Awareness About Deadly Disease

VUB Researchers Wear Purple on World Pancreatic Cancer Day to Raise Awareness About Deadly Disease

Brussels, November 21, 2024 – Today marks World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Researchers from VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) wear purple to show solidarity and raise awareness about this aggressive disease. At the same time, their research offers hope for better diagnostics and treatments.

Prof. Dr. Ilse Rooman: “Pancreatic cancer is expected to become the second deadliest form of cancer within 5 to 10 years. Because it is often detected late, treatment is extremely difficult. At LMMO-TORC (Laboratory for Medical and Molecular Oncology), we focus on the biology of this cancer: from how it originates to how it grows and spreads. By understanding these mechanisms better, we hope to enable early detection and develop more effective treatments.”

The team led by Prof. Dr. Ilse Rooman not only studies pancreatic cancer tissue but also the unaffected pancreas to understand the mechanisms involved in cancer development. This approach could make a significant difference, as early detection or intervention greatly increases the chances of survival.

  • The team has identified a cell type in normal pancreatic tissue that shares characteristics with the most aggressive forms of pancreatic cancer. This previously overlooked cell type may be key to better understanding and treating various tumor types.
  • Researchers are working to uncover a mechanism that might contribute to tumor metastasis. In collaboration with chemists from VUB (led by Prof. Dr. Steven Ballet), they are already developing a new therapeutic agent to influence this mechanism.
  • In partnership with UZ Brussel and the ULB-Erasme hospital, the B-PACT (Brussels Pancreatic Cancer Team) has been established—a multidisciplinary team focused on clinical and scientific research into pancreatic cancer.

About LMMO-TORC

The Laboratory for Medical and Molecular Oncology (LMMO) is part of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. LMMO is integrated into the larger research group Translational Oncology Research Centre (TORC) within the ORC cluster, where fundamental, translational, and clinical researchers from VUB and UZ Brussel collaborate closely.

Support the research into pancreatic cancer

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About Press - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Vrije Universiteit Brussel is an internationally oriented university in Brussels, the heart of Europe. By providing excellent research and education on a human scale, VUB wants to make an active and committed contribution to a better society.

The World Needs You

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel assumes its scientific and social responsibility with love and decisiveness. That’s why VUB launched the platform De Wereld Heeft Je Nodig – The World Needs You, which brings together ideas, actions and projects based on six Ps. The first P stands for People, because that’s what it’s all about: giving people equal opportunities, prosperity, welfare, respect. Peace is about fighting injustice, big and small, in the world. Prosperity combats poverty and inequality. Planet stands for actions on biodiversity, climate, air quality, animal rights... With Partnership, VUB is looking for joint actions to make the world a better place. The sixth and last P is for Poincaré, the French philosopher Henri Poincaré, from whom VUB derives its motto that thinking should submit to nothing except the facts themselves. VUB is an ‘urban engaged university’, strongly anchored in Brussels and Europe and working according to the principles of free research.

www.vub.be/dewereldheeftjenodig

 


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