Salk Research Institute
For decades, scientists have known that elevated CA19-9, a complex sugar structure that coats many proteins, was a biomarker for pancreatic cancer, but only recently did Dr. Engle and her colleagues at the Salk Research Institute discover that CA19-9 is directly involved in causing pancreatitis. CA19-9 is expressed in low levels in normal pancreatic ducts and becomes dramatically elevated locally and systemically in patients with pancreatic disease.
Dr. Engle was investigating how intervention of pancreatitis by targeting CA19-9 with antibodies could reduce the severity of pancreatitis and prevent it from developing into pancreatic cancer. Her research shows evidence that modulating CA19-9 may be not only a potential intervention for pancreatic cancer but may stop the progression of pancreatitis. With MCC’s investment, Dr. Engle will test the hypothesis that CA19-9 is a targetable vulnerability in pancreatitis.
With a library of patient-derived pancreatitis organoids, Dr. Engle’s lab will identify potential CA19-9 modulators and screen for compounds that can control CA19-9. This will facilitate validation of CA19-9 targeted therapy strategies and identify additional mechanisms of disease control. The project will also set up a platform that can be used by other researchers to yield additional therapeutic targets in vivo and will create a valuable new mouse model to test pharmacologic inhibitors of CA19-9 production.