Christine Mona, PhD

Overview

Aim: Treatment and Therapy

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, also called pNETs or PanNETs, is the second most common type of pancreatic cancer behind pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PNETs originate in a specialized class of cell called neuroendocrine cells that receive signals from the nervous system to produce and release hormones into the bloodstream. There are multiple types of neuroendocrine cells in the pancreas that can develop into PNETs meaning these types of tumors can vary from one patient to another. One treatment option for PNETs is called peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) which delivers radiation directly to tumor cells by targeting the somatostatin receptor proteins on some PNETs. Some people who receive this treatment experience long-term disease control, while others show little benefit. Current patient selection procedures include imaging scans and basic tumor features but these characterizations are not predictive of which patients will ultimately benefit from PRRT.

Christine Mona, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics at UCLA and 2026 Hirshberg Foundation PNET Pathway Grant recipient, is focused on developing more precise ways to match patients with therapies that are most likely to help them. Her project, Multi-Modal Discovery of Predictive Biomarkers of Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy Efficacy in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors will evaluate key signaling pathways in archived tumor samples to identify potential biomarkers of response or non-response to PRRT. Her goal is that this project establishes a biologically informed framework for clinicians to use when selecting patients for PRRT therefore improving outcomes for patients with PNETs.

The Hirshberg Foundation is excited to support Dr. Mona’s work with a 2026 PNET Pathway Grant Award to increase the ability of clinicians to match patients with the best therapy for them and their pNET. Dr. Mona wrote to us to say, “I am truly honored and grateful for the Foundation’s support of our work. This award represents an exciting opportunity to advance our understanding of predictive biomarkers for PNETs, and we are committed to making the most of this support. I look forward to sharing our progress with the Foundation and presenting our findings. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Hirshberg Foundation’s mission of advancing pancreatic cancer research.”