Assistant Professor of the UAB Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Renata Jaskula-Sztul, Ph.D., has received a two-year, $275,000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) NCI R21 grant, “Somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) antibody-drug conjugate for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PanNET) therapy.”

The NIH states that the grant “is intended to encourage exploratory and developmental research by providing support for the early and conceptual stages of project development.” The NCI R21 grant specifically aims to find an alternative treatment to surgery for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) as they are continuing to increase in incidence. The grant was scored among the top three percent of all discussed applications.

Jaskula-Sztul’s proposal outlines a plan to research an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that could selectively deliver a lethal agent to tumor cells and minimize side effects to patients. If the ADC is proven an effective anticancer treatment in the preclinical models, this will be the first ADC toward targeted therapy for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors PanNETs.

Jaskula-Sztul is looking forward to the less-invasive implications of an ADC with anticancer efficacy.

“This alternative to treating PanNETS, if effective, would offer a lot of hope to patients,” said Jaskula-Sztul. “I am proud to be part of an institution that consistently reaches for new and advanced treatment options.”