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Dr Patrick Forde, Glenville native, who is the first Irish recipient of a grant from the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund UK.

Glenville native, Dr Patrick Forde has been awarded the first Irish grant from the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund UK (PCRF), which has invested over £1 million into seven ambitious new projects to tackle some of the world’s deadliest cancers.

Dr Forde’s works at the Cork Cancer Research Centre in University College Cork (UCC), and his project will evaluate whether short intense electric pulses will increase the absorption of chemotherapy drugs in pancreatic cancer.

This treatment has shown positive results when trialled with inoperable skin cancers. If similar results are seen with pancreatic cancer tissue, the team will develop this treatment further through the use of a minimally invasive ‘keyhole’ medical device developed at the Research Centre.

Speaking about the announcement of the grant, Dr Forde said: “I am delighted and extremely proud to have been chosen along with six other worthy projects as a recipient of this grant from the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund UK.

“The grant will allow me to employ a researcher to work with me to develop a new pancreatic cancer treatment. Without this grant my research would not be able to continue, so I am extremely fortunate and proud to be the first Irish recipient of this grant,” he said.

Dr Forde has worked with the Cork Research Centre, funded by their national charity Breakthrough Cancer Research, since 2008. He is a graduate of UCC and received his PHD in Molecular Biology from the National University of Ireland, Galway.

PCRF founder and CEO, Maggie Blanks said the total spent on research into pancreatic cancer exceeds £5 million, and supports 34 world-leading projects at universities across the UK and Ireland.

“Our grant applications grow in number and quality year on year and 2014 was no exception. We’ve funded the seven very best applications as advised by our eminent Scientific Advisory Panel and we’re excited to be supporting such world-leading research,” Ms Blanks said.

Breakthrough Cancer Research’s work is vital because 35,000 people are diagnosed with cancer annually in Ireland, and despite significant increases in the number of people surviving cancer and treatment options available, 8,500 people will die because the treatments to save their lives have not yet been discovered.

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