Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research

Dedicated to advancing pancreatic cancer research and providing support to patients and their families.

Donate
  • ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
    • Agi’s Story
    • About Us →
      • Mission
      • Directors/Trustees
      • Scientific Advisory Board
      • How Our Journey Began
    • News →
      • Latest News
      • Research News
      • Foundation News
      • UCLA Activity Summary Reports
      • Newsletters
      • Press Room
    • Contact
  • PANCREATIC CANCER
    • About the Pancreas →
      • The Pancreas
      • Cancer Cells
      • Risk Factors
      • Symptoms
      • Diagnosis
      • Prognosis
      • Staging
      • Second Opinion
    • Treatment Options →
      • Surgery
      • Chemotherapy
      • Targeted Therapy
      • Radiation Therapy
      • Alternative Treatment Options
      • Clinical Trials
    • Supportive Care →
      • Obstructions
      • Pain Control
      • Nutrition
      • Cannabis
      • Palliative Care
    • Pancreatic Cancer Facts
    • Glossary of Terms
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • RESEARCH
    • Seed Grant Program →
      • Seed Grant Recipients
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Seed Grant News
    • UCLA Program →
      • UCLA Center for Pancreatic Diseases
      • Basic Research
      • Translational Research
      • Sahin-Toth Laboratory
      • UCLA Pancreas Tissue Bank
      • UC Pancreatic Cancer Consortium
      • Simms/Mann Psychosocial →
        • Insights into Cancer
    • American Pancreatic Association
    • NIH Funded Projects
  • PATIENTS & CAREGIVERS
    • Patient Support
    • Where to Begin
    • Caregivers & Families
    • Symposium →
      • Symposium Presentations
    • Patient & Family Webinars
    • Genetic Counseling
    • Resources →
      • NCCN Guidelines for Patients
      • Patient Support Tools
      • Create Your Health Care Team
      • Patient Health Diaries
      • Support Groups
      • Financial Aid
  • HOW YOU CAN HELP
    • Planned Giving
    • Donor-Advised Funds
    • Event Calendar
    • Get Inspired
    • Fundraising Resources
    • November Awareness Month →
      • World Pancreatic Cancer Day
    • More Ways to Give →
      • You Can Help Funds
      • Host Your Own Event
      • Shop Online Store
      • Wedding Program
      • Volunteer
      • Car Program
  • SEARCH
Home / Research / Seed Grant Program / Seed Grant Recipients / Katelyn T. Byrne, PhD

Katelyn T. Byrne, PhD

Katelyn T. Byrne, PhD
Katelyn T. Byrne, PhD
Oregon Health & Science University

Interrogating the role of the PSGL1/VISTA axis in the pancreatic tumor-immune microenvironment

Overview

Aim: Treatment / Therapy

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive and difficult-to-treat tumor type that does not respond well to standard treatments. Using the patient’s immune system to target tumors is an appealing approach that has worked in many other cancer types, but still difficult to achieve in pancreatic cancer.

We are studying proteins that may act as barriers to therapy response, keeping cancer-killing immune cells from fully attacking pancreatic tumors. One such protein, called PSGL-1, is commonly expressed by killer immune cells in pancreatic cancer, and works to shut off the function of the killer immune cells. Using a mouse model of pancreatic cancer, we plan to block the ability of PSGL-1 to target immune cells, which has been shown to rescue killer functions in other tumors, to see if this will be more effective in controlling pancreatic cancer growth. We will also combine PSGL-1 blockade with other immune-stimulating therapies that our laboratory has developed to promote improved tumor control. Finally, we will evaluate patient pancreatic tumor samples to determine if some of the signals from the mouse model that predict response to PSGL-1 blockade are present in human samples. Overall, this project will investigate the immune-biology in the tumor site to reveal how targeting PSGL-1 contributes to tumor control, and evaluate new potential immune therapies for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Research

  • Seed Grant Program
    • Seed Grant Recipients
      • Katelyn T. Byrne, PhD
      • Julienne L. Carstens, PhD
      • Alicia K. Fleming Martinez, PhD
      • Mark Girgis, MD
      • Conan Kinsey, MD, PhD
      • Jacques Lux, PhD
      • Jimin Min, PhD
      • Somnath Pandey, PhD
      • Fredrik Ivar Thege, PhD
      • Liying Zhang, MD, PhD
  • Seed Grant News
  • UCLA Program
    • UCLA Center for Pancreatic Diseases
    • Basic Research
    • Translational Research
    • Sahin-Toth Laboratory
    • UCLA Pancreas Tissue Bank
    • UC Pancreatic Cancer Consortium
    • Psychosocial Care via Simms/Mann
      • Insights into Cancer
  • American Pancreatic Association (APA)
  • NIH Funded Projects

Patient Support Resources

from the comfort of your home


Our Webinar Library »

Never Give Up.
The journey continues with an end in sight.
Our Stories »
SUBSCRIBE
Our Free E-Newsletter
Sign up to receive information on breaking news, patient programs and upcoming events.
You can custom tailor your subscriptions and unsubscribe at any time.
  • How You Can Help
  • Make A Donation
  • Host an Event
  • Shop Online Store
  • Signature Events
  • L.A. Cancer Challenge
  • Tour De Pier
  • Hirshberg Training Team
  • More
  • News
  • Press
  • Contact

Stay Connected

Join Our E-newsletter

  • Legal and Privacy
  • Financial Information
  • Contact