Robert C. G. Martin II, M.D., Ph.D., has published research in Annals of Surgical Oncology, in a paper titled “Evaluating the Regulatory Immunomodulation Effect of Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.”

Dr. Martin is a surgical oncologist in multidisciplinary collaboration between Norton Cancer Institute and the University of Louisville.

This study evaluated an institutional review board-approved study of patients undergoing either in situ irreversible electroporation (IRE) or pancreatectomy, and aimed to identify an ideal time point for potential adjuvant immunotherapy.

IRE is an effective local method for stage 3 pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Immune regulatory T cells induce immunosuppression of tumors by inhibiting patients’ adaptive immune response.

Patient blood samples were collected before surgery and postoperatively. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and evaluated for three different T cell subsets and analyzed for median fold change between two consecutive time points.

Study conclusion: The study data suggests that in situ IRE procedure-mediated Treg attenuation between POD3 and POD5 can provide a clinical window of opportunity for potentiating clinical efficacy in combination with immunotherapy.

You can read the entire study here.

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