NICM HRI Seminar 2021: The quest for novel therapeutic agents for pancreatic cancer

NICM Health Research Institute presents Professor Christopher Scarlett, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle.

Join guest seminar speaker, Professor Scarlett, as he discusses novel therapeutic approaches in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

After receiving his PhD in Pancreatic Cancer Biology from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Professor Scarlett spent five postdoctoral years in the Pancreatic Cancer Group at the Garvan Institute. In 2012 he established the Pancreatic Cancer Research Group at the University of Newcastle. Professor Scarlett’s research interests are focused on key pathways driving aggressive pancreatic cancer subtypes. His team investigates the efficacy of natural and synthetic compounds as novel therapeutics in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, in particular for phenotypes with no current therapeutic options.

Professor Scarlett has received over $6M in research funding and successfully published more than 170 papers in high profile journals.

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with an abysmal survival rate of approximately 10% at five years. In Australia there were 3,900 new cases and 3,300 deaths in 2020. Currently the third most common cause of cancer death in the United States with a projected 48,000 deaths in 2021, it will be number two by 2030. Current therapies are palliative at best highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic agents targeting molecular phenotypes not responsive to current treatments. The highly heterogeneic and metastatic nature of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a type of pancreatic cancer, presents a major challenge in therapeutic development. Our team are searching on land, at sea, and within the laboratory for potential therapeutic agents targeting molecular mechanisms that contribute to these aggressive, metastatic subtypes.

How to join and requirements:

Our online seminars use the Zoom platform. Joining the webinar is easy. If you don’t already use Zoom don’t worry, Zoom will download automatically when you click the link to join the webinar. This link will be provided to you in a confirmation email upon registration, and is the easiest and more direct way to join the webinar. Alternatively you can go to the Zoom website https://zoom.us/join (opens in a new window) and enter the Meeting ID (provided in the confirmation email) and click join. Otherwise, you can also dial in on the phone number (provided in the confirmation email). If you have any questions before the day, please contact our seminar programs team at nicm@westernsydney.edu.au

To ensure a seamless learning experience, please follow these simple steps:

• Save the session details in your calendar for easy reference
• Check the guidelines available on the Zoom website,(opens in a new window) along with recommendations for peripheral devices
• Use a stable broadband internet connection or phone line
• Connect or dial in 10-minutes early

Please note this webinar will not require a webcam or audio for participants. This webinar will have the Q&A function available for questions at the end of the webinar and a recording may also be made available to participants. Closed captioning is available for this webinar, however please note the live transcript is automatically generated and accuracy may be limited due to this.

Webinar recording disclaimer:

The presenter’s video and audio (including screen shared content) will be recorded. As attendees, your video and audio are not being transmitted and you will not be visible or heard during the webinar. You will also not be recorded. Further to this, a recording of this webinar may be published online for reference. Attendees will not be visible or heard in this recording. Participation in the ‘Chat’, ‘Question and Answer’ and/or ‘Poll’ sections of the webinar is completely optional. Any personal information collected by Western Sydney University during the webinar will be handled in accordance with its Privacy Policy and Privacy Management Plan which can be accessed online at https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/policy/policy_dds

Event details

WHEN: Thursday 19 August 2021
TIME: 12.00pm - 1.00pm AEST
VENUE: Zoom webinar 
COST: Free and open to all
RSVP: Registrations closed 12pm AEST 18 August 2021