25 Apr 2025
Collaborative research project awarded grant to carry out pioneering pancreatic cancer research
Dr Michael Gray will work with Mr Keaton Jones of Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences to investigate how ultrasound therapy can alter tumour immunity and potentially render tumours sensitive to immunotherapy
L to R: Mr Keaton Jones and Dr Michael Gray
Mr Keaton Jones, Academic Clinical Lecturer at the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, has been awarded a grant from Pancreatic Cancer UK to carry out pioneering pancreatic cancer research. Mr Jones will collaborate with Dr Michael Gray, a Senior Researcher specialising in Clinical Therapeutic Ultrasound at Oxford’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering. Together, they will investigate how different types of focused ultrasound therapy can alter tumour immunity and potentially render tumours sensitive to immunotherapy.
The grant, part of Pancreatic Cancer UK’s new Interdisciplinary Treatment Grants initiative, will provide in excess of £300k over three years. These grants are designed to kick-start or formalise interdisciplinary collaborations, enabling researchers to work together from different disciplines to improve current treatments or find new therapeutic targets and approaches.
"By exploring how focused ultrasound can boost the immune response against tumours, we hope to open the door to more effective therapies and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients"
Mr Keaton Jones
Mr Jones says, "We’re incredibly grateful to Pancreatic Cancer UK for supporting this research. Pancreatic cancer remains one of the toughest cancers to treat, and patients urgently need new options. By exploring how focused ultrasound can boost the immune response against tumours, we hope to open the door to more effective therapies and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients."
Find out more about the Interdisciplinary Treatment Grants on the Pancreatic Cancer UK website.
