PANCREATIC CARCINOMA NOW RANKS AS THE FOURTH MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH IN MAN.

PANCREATIC CARCINOMA NOW RANKS AS THE FOURTH MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH IN MAN. AT THIS TIME, IT IS EXTREMELYDIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE UNTIL IT IS AT AN ADVANCED STATE, RESULTING IN A DISMAL 5-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE OF 2 PERCENT. THEREFORE, A METHOD TO DIAGNOSE PANCREATIC CANCER AT AN EARLY STAGE WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT. ENDOSCOPIC RETROGRADE PANCREATOGRAPHY (ERCP) IS THE ONLY NONSURGICAL MEANS OF VISUALIZING THE ENTIRE PANCREATIC DUCT. LASERGENICS IS PROPOSING TO DEVELOP A TUNABLE LASER SOURCE THAT CAN BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH ERCP AND FLUORESCENT PROBES SUCH AS HEMATOPORPHYRIN DERIVATIVE (HPD) TO SPECTROSCOPICALLY OBSERVE EARLY PANCREATIC LESIONS. THE LASER SOURCE WILL BE TUNABLE OVER A BROAD RANGE AND BE OF SUFFICIENT POWER SO THAT NOT ONLY DIAGNOSIS BUT ALSO PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY (PDT) CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED. THE TUNING RANGE WILL BE BROAD ENOUGH SO THAT BOTH HPD AND THE NEWER PHOTOACTIVE AGENTS (PHTHALOCYNANIES) CAN BE ACCOMODATED. THE SYSTEM WILL BE BASED ON THE TI:A1203 VIBRONIC LASER PUMPED BY A FREQUENCY-DOUBLED ND:YAG LASER. AFTER CRITICAL TESTS, A COMPLETE LASER SYSTEM DESIGN WILL BE COMPLETED. THUS, A PROTOTYPE LASER SYSTEM COULD BE DEVELOPED DURING THEPHASE II EFFORT.