Image: Mattias Pettersson
Research group Pancreatic cancer – from early detection to optimised treatment
Oskar Franklin leads a research group dedicated to pancreatic cancer. The research focuses on metabolic alterations, such as new-onset diabetes, in identifying high-risk groups and new diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers. The research focuses partly on early detection, so that more patients can be offered curative surgery, and partly on a deeper understanding of tumour biology, so that patients can be offered optimal treatment based on their specific tumour. The research is carried out in collaboration with local, national and international research groups.
Our research focuses partly on early detection of pancreatic cancer, by studying metabolic alterations such as hyperglycaemia and diabetes, and partly on tumour biology and new prognostic and predictive biomarkers that can guide treatment choice. The aim is for more patients to be offered curative surgery and more personalised treatment.
Most patients with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when curative surgery is no longer possible. Our research shows that the disease is often preceded by metabolic changes, such as elevated blood glucose, years before diagnosis. To use this window of opportunity for earlier detection, we pursue research in several areas:
By analysing data from Swedish national registries, including the National Diabetes Register, we use machine learning to identify individuals with new-onset diabetes who are at increased risk of pancreatic cancer. The findings could form the basis for future targeted screening programmes.
Using advanced 3D microscopy and spatial transcriptomics on human tumour tissue, we study how cancer cells affect the insulin-producing islets of the pancreas, aiming to understand how cancer-induced diabetes differs from common type 2 diabetes.
Using unique pre-diagnostic samples from medical biobanks such as the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (NSHDS), we carry out large-scale analyses of proteins, lipids and other metabolites. These biomarkers could in the future be used for early diagnosis, both in high-risk groups and in the general population.
Pancreatic cancer is a heterogeneous disease – tumours differ in their mutations, gene expression and surrounding microenvironment, which affects spread, treatment response and survival. By improving our understanding of this heterogeneity, we aim to make it possible to tailor treatment to each patient's tumour:
Using tumour tissue and tissue microarrays from patients who have undergone pancreatic cancer surgery, we study how the expression of various proteins and genes in the tumour relates to prognosis and treatment response. Through functional studies in cell lines and organoids, we also investigate how individual genes affect tumour properties, with the aim of identifying new biomarkers that can in the future guide treatment choice.
Through local, national and international studies, we investigate how tumour extent and characteristics in different types of pancreatic tumours affect prognosis and the choice of surgical and oncological treatment strategy.
Our group's research is carried out in close collaboration with international partners, including the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (USA), University of Iowa (USA), Amsterdam UMC (the Netherlands) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, France), as well as regional and national networks such as the Northern Sweden Pancreatic Network and SSPAC (the Swedish Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer).
