Since 2005, our Seed Grant Program has fostered an environment for research to bloom. As we mark 20 years since our first cohort of grantees, it is more exciting than ever to look back and see all that is being accomplished.
We’re delighted to share an exciting update on Jami Saloman, PhD, a distinguished recipient of a 2016 Seed Grant Award, whose pioneering research on pancreatic cancer and pain regulation has gained national recognition and funding from major organizations. The Seed Grant initially awarded to Dr. Saloman has been instrumental in her journey, enabling the collection of critical data that has now culminated in a prestigious R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for her project titled “Peripheral Nerve Regulation of Pancreas Cancer Progression.” The Research Project (R01) is NIH’s most commonly used grant program for independent research projects. It is awarded to support mature, hypothesis-driven research projects with strong preliminary data. The grant funds a discrete, specified, circumscribed project in an area representing the researcher’s specific interest and competencies.
Dr. Saloman’s interest lies in understanding how the nervous system, particularly sensory nerves, interacts with pancreatic cancer. In her postdoctoral work, she was the first to demonstrate that ablation of sensory nerves could significantly inhibit pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression, showing that nerves in the pancreas might create a “safe harbor” environment for tumor development. Thanks to the Hirshberg Foundation Seed Grant, Dr. Saloman showed an increased anti-tumor immune response in the absence of nerves—a finding with vast implications for immunotherapy and cancer treatment strategies.
One of her significant achievements with the Seed Grant was refining methods for isolating individual neurons connected to the pancreas and performing transcriptomic analysis. This breakthrough revealed that these sensory neurons express immune-regulating genes, including certain “inhibitory checkpoints.” Such insights laid the groundwork for her Career Development Award from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. As a junior faculty member, Dr. Saloman explored the role of neuronally expressed PDL1 and NRP1 in the regulation of both PDAC-related immune responses and cancer pain.
This momentum led Dr. Saloman to secure an R01 grant from the NCI, where she will continue her work to understand the neural influence on the tumor microenvironment and lymphatic spread, focusing on PDAC-related pain and potential interventions. Additionally, she recently received funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to investigate inhibitors of the NRP1 protein, potentially offering new therapeutic avenues for PDAC pain management.
Dr. Saloman’s work exemplifies the impact that the Hirshberg Foundation’s Seed Grant Program has on accelerating critical research that reshapes our understanding of pancreatic cancer and advances innovative treatment solutions. We are honored to support researchers like Dr. Saloman, whose dedication to discovery holds promise for transformative therapies for cancer progression and cancer-related pain.
Thanks to your support, we’ve been planting seeds of hope through our Seed Grant Program for 20 years. It’s a delight to watch research grow from the lab to the clinic and bloom into clinical trials and new treatment options.
Help us continue to sow seeds of hope for a cancer-free future, donate today.