The UCLA Pancreas Tissue Bank (PTB), overseen by David Dawson, M.D., Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, provides invaluable resources for research on pancreatic diseases.
Since 2005, the UCLA Pancreas Tissue Bank has collected frozen tissue samples from pancreatic resections to construct several large tissue microarrays of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and periampullary, duodenal and bile duct cancers. Its holdings include thousands of frozen tissue samples from hundreds of patients, archival clinical materials, and several large tissue microarrays of pancreatic tumors. These tissue resources have been successfully used by investigators seeking to confirm promising laboratory results in patient tissue samples and for the discovery and validation of diagnostic, prognostic or predictive clinical biomarkers. With the Hirshberg Foundation’s partnership, Dr. Dawson is able to provide these resources at no cost and offer pathology consultation services UCLA pancreatic research colleagues, UC Pancreatic Cancer Consortium members, and various national and international research collaborators.
The repository allows for collaboration to facilitate basic and translational research in pancreas diseases. These tissue resources have allowed investigators to confirm promising laboratory results in patient tissue samples and have been vital tools in the discovery and validation of diagnostic, prognostic or predictive clinical biomarkers. The Pancreas Tissue Bank is an invaluable resource helping to advance numerous research endeavors exploring various facets of pancreatic disease treatment.
In addition to the PTB, Dr. Dawson runs a basic and translational research laboratory focused on pancreatic cancer. The laboratory’s primary goals are to better understand and treat this lethal disease by:
- Identifying novel genetic and epigenetic alterations responsible for the development and progression of pancreatic cancer
- Understanding the role of cell signaling pathways in promoting or inhibiting the development of pancreatic cancer and the inflammatory microenvironment within pancreatic tumors
- Exploring genetic and environmental factors that promote KRAS-initiated dysplastic progression to pancreatic cancer to better inform screening and chemoprevention strategies in at-risk populations
- Identifying and validating clinically useful biomarkers with the ultimate goals of early detection and personalized therapy for pancreatic cancer
Current Research Projects
- Mechanisms and therapeutic implications of pro-oncogenic Wnt signaling in pancreatic cancer
- Identification of clinically relevant biomarkers for pancreatic cancer diagnosis and management
- Interplay of pancreatic cancer cell metabolism and signal transduction in shaping tumor microenvironment
Laboratory Director:
David Dawson, M.D. Ph.D.
- Professor of Clinical Pathology, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
- Co-Director, UCLA Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program
- Member, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Director, UCLA Pancreas Tissue Bank
- Primary Investigator, Pathology and Biobanking for the UC Pancreatic Cancer Consortium
How You Can Get Involved
The UCLA Pancreas Tissue Bank has been able to grow thanks to the tissue samples collected from patients. If you or a loved one would like to help grow the Tissue Bank and support crucial research towards a cure, it’s easy. If you are a UCLA patient, you can consent to tissue banking and/or precision medicine participation. These are documents that you sign and opt-into upon being admitted for surgery. If you are a patient being treated outside of UCLA, many hospitals, especially ones that are university-based or have a research wing, have their own general or pancreas-specific biobanking programs. Be sure to inquire with your clinical team, surgeon or oncologist to learn more.