Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Director, Caroline Kelly visited Curtin Innovation Research Institute at Curtin University on Friday 24^th March 2017 to meet the research group recipient of one of the 2016 Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Accelerator Grants.

Professor Marco Falasca and his group are working towards supporting the foundation’s vision of breaking through ‘40 years of no progress by doubling the number of people who survive pancreatic cancer by 2020’  thanks to Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation support.  Professor Falasca’s group is working on pancreatic cancer, analysing different aspects of the disease.

Pancreatic cancer has currently one of the lowest survival rates, around 8%.  It is very aggressive and highly metastatic and it is usually associated with poor prognosis due to the lack of suitable biomarkers for early detection.  The aim of the team’s efforts is to try and identify novel pharmacological targets in pancreatic cancer cells to develop a more effective therapeutic strategy.  Moreover, Professor Falasca’s group is also aiming to identify novel biomarkers that can successfully predict early onset of the disease.

Director Kelly’s visit has represented an important opportunity for science to meet people and supporters.  It has been an important step that has helped the Avner Foundation to appreciate the effort of the research team at Curtin University.

This meeting preceded an important charity event, the “Put Your Foot Down Perth” annual walk on Sunday 26^th March 2017.  The walk is a fundamental step towards raising awareness for Pancreatic Cancer and supporting the Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.