Corina Antal, PhD

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers because it is very difficult to treat. There are only a few treatment options available, and they do not work very well for most patients. We propose to find new therapies by studying how certain molecules, called RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), contribute to pancreatic cancer growth. RBPs are important because they control how genes are translated into proteins and ensure that the right genes are expressed at the right time and in the right amounts. When they are not working properly, RBPs can contribute to cancer development. For example, how much of an RBP is made can be affected by certain changes in the cancer cells, like how genes are turned on and off. Additionally, how an RBP works can be affected by cancer-specific modifications to its protein structure. Our research will focus on understanding what goes wrong with RBPs in cancer and how we can fix it. We will determine which RBPs and which cancer-specific modifications of RBPs are important for tumor growth and drug resistance. This will help us find answers that could lead to new therapies for pancreatic cancer patients.