The pancreas is an amphicrine gland, i.e. a gland with both an endocrine function to regulate blood sugar levels, and an exocrine function to secrete digestive juices to aid digestion. These two functions are performed by different cellular territories within the pancreas: the islets of Langerhans for the endocrine function, and the pancreatic acini for the exocrine function. Both of these functions can be deregulated, leading to diabetes mellitus and pancreatic cancer respectively, diseases that affect very large populations worldwide. Diabetes is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, one of the world's most deadly cancers.
The main aim of Flora CLEMENT's project is to develop pancreatic organoids in a microfluidic device in order to model both functions and better understand and characterize the causal links between diabetes and pancreatic cancer. In this way, she hopes to uncover biomarkers for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, which are sorely lacking today.
Espoir Isère contre le cancer is an association founded in 1978. Chaired by Martine Delétraz-Delporte, since May 2018, and managed by volunteers, the association aims to help develop supportive care, particularly in conjunction with the team of specialized oncology departments in Vienne, Bourgoin-Jallieu, Voiron, and Grenoble (Grenoble Alpes University Hospital Center, Institut Alpin du Sein, and Institut Daniel Hollard) and always continuing to support researchers in Isère.
In 2023, the Association will pursue these actions while remaining attentive to the needs of patients and healthcare professionals. This year will also see the celebration of the association's 45th anniversary.