Project Summary (Center for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer) In spite of notable advances in detection and treatment of various cancers, pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the U.S. with a 5-year survival rate of less than 6%. A lack of early symptoms, short survival, and resistance to therapy are hallmarks of pancreatic vis a vis other forms of cancer. This grim situation calls for the urgent need of effective therapeutic strategies. We are proposing to establish a Center for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer at North Dakota State University (NDSU). This proposed COBRE center will conduct collaborative fundamental studies on developing diagnostic and therapeutic tools which will lead to early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer. This Center will develop self-sustaining research programs by junior investigators to increase the number of NIH funded research grants, enhance the infrastructure of NDSU to promote biomedical research, and expand the University’s capability to establish the disease specific program, particularly on pancreatic cancer. The proposed center will conduct fundamental studies intrinsic to the detection and control of pancreatic cancer at cellular and model animal levels involving a multidisciplinary team of junior investigators. The junior investigators will utilize the resources developed under the proposed Administrative and Animal Cores. The scientific strengths of junior investigators will be synergistically augmented by direct interaction with elite biomedical researchers via direct mentorship and seminar series, and they will become competent to obtain the NIH-R01 grant, leading to the attainment of independent research status. The proposed COBRE center will be instrumental in enhancing the infrastructure of the NDSU campus and support biomedical research. The specific aims of the proposed research are geared toward: (1) developing successful, independent, and self-sustaining research projects engaging junior investigators to increase the number of funded NIH-R01 grants at NDSU, (2) enhancing the infrastructure of NDSU to support biomedical research programs, and (3) establishing a nationally recognized center for pancreatic cancer research at NDSU. These aims will be accomplished by establishing the proposed COBRE center, which will develop diagnostic and therapeutic tools for controlling the onset and proliferation of pancreatic cancer. Project Narrative Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the U.S., with a median survival time of about six month, and the five year survival rate is about 2%. Unlike the downward trend in death rates of other cancers (e.g., lung, breast, prostate, cancers), there is a slow increase in the pancreatic cancer death rate over the past decade. This grim situation highlights the urgent need for new and more effective therapeutic strategies for controlling the disease. North Dakota State University (NDSU) proposes to establish a “Center for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer involving highly competent young researchers to conduct fundamental research on early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer.