PRRT for Pancreatic NETs

Brian R. Untch, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Study Funded by NETRF/NANETS

Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) in collaboration with the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) awarded the 2017 Basic Translational Science Investigator grant to Brian R. Untch, M.D., at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for his proposal, “Enhancing Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy in Well-Differentiated Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.”

Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) express high levels of a specific receptor (somatostatin receptor type 2) that can be detected and targeted by using radionuclides. The clinical utility of this approach was recently demonstrated in the phase III randomized trial, NETTER-1, which used 177Lu-DOTA-TATE to treat patients with metastatic NETs.  This study uses both mouse and human models of NETs to compare different types of radionuclides and combination treatments with 177Lu-DOTA-TATE.  It is currently unknown how other treatment for NETs (somatostatin analogs, targeted therapy, etc) effects somatostatin receptor type 2 expression on cells and whether these can act synergistically or antagonistically.  Optimal treatment approaches identified with this work will be used to guide future clinical trials for patients with NETs.

The purpose of this award is to encourage scientists at the end of their fellowship or beginning of their faculty appointment to pursue basic and/or translational research focused on NETs. This is a two-year award and will provide $50,000 in funding each year.