UK Focused Ultrasound Foundation Joins Forces with Pancreatic Cancer UK to Tackle Pancreatic Cancer

The UK Focused Ultrasound Foundation and Pancreatic Cancer UK have announced a new partnership to co-fund a preclinical study at the University of Oxford. The research will investigate whether focused ultrasound can enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy in treating pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers. In the UK, more than 10,000 people are diagnosed each year. Tragically, over half die within just three months of diagnosis, making it the deadliest common cancer. Early detection is extremely difficult—around 80% of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Surgery remains the only potentially curative option but is only available to about 10% of patients due to the typically late diagnosis.

The study, led by co-principal investigators Keaton Jones MSc DPhil FRCS and Michael Gray PhD at the University of Oxford, will explore whether focused ultrasound can disrupt tumors and improve the delivery of immunotherapy—an approach that boosts the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Early evidence indicates that combining focused ultrasound with immunotherapy could help overcome the distinct challenges presented by pancreatic cancer. Focused ultrasound uses noninvasive, high-frequency sound waves to destroy tumor tissue and may also reduce the immunosuppressive environment that makes pancreatic tumors particularly difficult to treat. By improving immune cell access and enhancing drug delivery, this combination therapy could improve outcomes.

“Finding a treatment for pancreatic cancer is one of the greatest unmet needs in oncology,” said Philip Keevil MA (Oxon) MBA FRSA, chairman and trustee of the UK Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “We need bold, innovative approaches like focused ultrasound to change the odds for patients. This partnership reflects our commitment to delivering hope through science.”

“We are thrilled to be co-funding this vital project with the UK Focused Ultrasound Foundation,” said Dr. Chris Macdonald, Head of Research at Pancreatic Cancer UK. “Immunotherapy is an immensely exciting treatment that has improved survival for other cancers like leukemia but has so far been ineffective for pancreatic cancer due to its ability to hide from the immune system, and the thick shell of tissue that surrounds the tumor. We hope that the addition of focused ultrasound will, in future, make immunotherapy a viable treatment option for thousands of people diagnosed each year in the UK.”