Using an Approved Device to Increase the Immune Response in Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Principal Investigator: Dr. Rafael Davalos

Diseases: Pancreatic Cancer

Research Description: In 2018, Cures Within Reach funded Dr. Rafael Davalos at Virginia Tech University to test irreversible electroporation (IRE), a tumor ablation procedure, to treat pancreatic cancer by activating the immune system to help treatment response (Davalos is now at Georgia Institute of Technology). IRE’s short, intense electrical pulses damage the cell membrane of targeted cells without damaging the surrounding tissue, well-suited for cancerous tumors that cannot be removed via surgery. Dr. Davalos and his team developed a technique for personalizing a pre-treatment plan to target each patient’s tumor more effectively with IRE, demonstrating both a reduction in ablation time and lower risk of thermal effects during IRE procedures for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. In 2019, published results showed that this IRE treatment modulated patients’ immune response, indicating potential for more options to improve patient outcomes in pancreatic and possibly other cancers.