• Please tell us who you are and your role in TRANSPAN?

I’m Eithne Costello, from the University of Liverpool. I’ve been a pancreatic cancer scientist for around 25 years. I lead Working Group 1 in TRANSPAN. I’m also a member of the TRANSPAN core group.

• What’s the coolest or most exciting thing about working on TRANSPAN?

Without a doubt, it’s the people. TRANSPAN provides the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse and passionate group of researchers, clinicians, people with lived experience of pancreatic cancer and innovators. The shared commitment to a common goal is incredibly motivating.

• How does your work package help power up the whole TRANSPAN mission?

Researchers in Working Group 1 use a combination of germline genetic variants associated with pancreatic cancer risk, epigenetics, transcriptomics and environmental factors to model disease risk. Such modelling has the potential to identify those people most at risk of developing pancreatic cancer and highlight them for screening.

• What’s been your proudest moment in the project so far?

If I have to pick one thing, I chose the training elements. TRANSPAN has given several researchers the chance to attend training schools and spend time in host labs, learning new techniques firsthand. These experiences not only build technical skills but also spark valuable networking opportunities — forging new friendships and collaborations across the field.

• What kind of real-world impact do you hope TRANSPAN will have?

I hope TRANSPAN helps shift the narrative around pancreatic cancer — from late-stage diagnosis to proactive, early intervention. If we can contribute to earlier detection and better survival rates, that would be a game-changer. Training the next generation and enthusing them to work on this challenging disease is essential.

• What gets you out of bed in the morning to work on this topic? Coffee doesn’t count.

Pancreatic cancer is devastating.  While outcomes have improved over the past decade—particularly for patients with localized disease, eligible for surgery—treatment options become extremely limited once the cancer has spread. Our research focuses on early detection, which is central to improving outcomes in pancreatic cancer. We’re exploring how new-onset diabetes could serve as an early signal, giving us a chance to intervene sooner. Early detection could be the turning point in survival. If we can identify the disease earlier, we can change the entire trajectory of treatment and survival. Knowing that our work could help catch pancreatic cancer earlier keeps me motivated.

• If TRANSPAN had a slogan, what would yours be?

For me personally, it would be, “Detect Early. Act Fast. Save Lives.”

• Please tell us who you are and your role in TRANSPAN?

My name is Prof. Beatrice Mohelníková-Duchoňová. I am a clinical and molecular oncologist with a long-term focus on pancreatic cancer, covering both comprehensive patient care and translational research. Since 2013, I have also been actively involved in biomarker research aimed at earlier diagnosis and more individualized treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer. Within TRANSPAN, I serve as the leader of Working Group 3, which focuses on tumor profiling.

• What’s the coolest or most exciting thing about working on TRANSPAN?

The most exciting part is bringing together experts from very different disciplines and countries who all share one goal: improving outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients. It is inspiring to see how different disciplines and countries come together to generate new projects and new research opportunities.

• How does your work package help power up the whole TRANSPAN mission?

Our work package helps connect complex molecular data with clinical reality. By integrating genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic profiling with patient outcomes, we aim to better understand pancreatic cancer evolution, heterogeneity, and treatment response, while using AI to make these insights clinically actionable.

• What’s been your proudest moment in the project so far?

One of my proudest moments has been building collaborations that would probably not have happened without TRANSPAN — especially when researchers from different backgrounds start developing common ideas and concrete projects together.

• What kind of real-world impact do you hope TRANSPAN will have?

I hope TRANSPAN will help identify biomarkers and research strategies that can genuinely improve earlier diagnosis and treatment selection in pancreatic cancer. Ultimately, even small improvements in this disease can make a major difference for patients.

• What gets you out of bed in the morning to work on this topic? Coffee doesn’t count.

The feeling that pancreatic cancer still remains one of the biggest unmet challenges in oncology. Every meaningful step forward matters, and the possibility that research can eventually change a patient’s future is a very strong motivation.

• If TRANSPAN had a slogan, what would yours be?

New ideas, shared effort, better futures.

• Please tell us who you are and your role in TRANSPAN?

My name is Olga Abian, and I work on understanding pancreatic cancer through biomarkers that can be detected in a simple blood sample. Within TRANSPAN, I lead Working Group 2, where we focus on non-invasive strategies for early detection and patient stratification. In practice, my role is not only scientific coordination, but also connecting people, ideas, and approaches across the network to move closer to a common goal.

• What’s the coolest or most exciting thing about working on TRANSPAN?

What makes TRANSPAN truly exciting is the feeling that you are part of something bigger than your own research. You bring together experts from different fields and countries, and suddenly the problem looks different, richer, more solvable. Ideas grow faster, collaborations happen naturally, and you realize that progress doesn’t come from working alone, but from working together.

• How does your work package help power up the whole TRANSPAN mission?

WG2 focuses on one of the most critical challenges in pancreatic cancer: detecting the disease early, when it is still treatable. We work on identifying signals in blood, tiny molecular traces like circulating DNA, extracellular vesicles or other biomarkers, that can reveal the presence of cancer before symptoms appear. By combining biology, technology, and data science, we are contributing to a future where diagnosis could be earlier, simpler, and less invasive.

• What’s been your proudest moment in the project so far?

Rather than a single moment, it’s been seeing people grow through the project. Young researchers travelling to other labs, learning new techniques, building collaborations, and coming back with new ideas. Those exchanges, those moments of learning and connection, are where the real impact of TRANSPAN is happening.

• What kind of real-world impact do you hope TRANSPAN will have?

Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed too late. If TRANSPAN can help change that, even slightly, it could make a real difference. The goal is to move towards earlier detection, better patient stratification, and more informed clinical decisions. Ultimately, it’s about giving patients more time and better options.

• What gets you out of bed in the morning to work on this topic? Coffee doesn’t count.

What motivates me is knowing that this is a problem that still needs solutions. Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases, and there is still so much to understand. Being part of a collective effort to change that, even in a small way, is what keeps me going.

• If TRANSPAN had a slogan, what would yours be?

“Working together to make pancreatic cancer detectable earlier.”

• Please tell us who you are and your role in TRANSPAN?

I am Prof. Elisa Giovannetti, a researcher working at Amsterdam University Medical Centers (The Netherlands) and the Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza (Italy), with a strong focus on pharmacology and translational oncology. My research centers on understanding the molecular and (epi)genetic determinants of drug response and resistance in pancreatic cancer, integrating molecular pharmacology approaches with pharmacogenetics and liquid biopsies. Within TRANSPAN, I serve as the leader of Working Group 4, which focuses on advancing translational research and bridging laboratory discoveries with clinical application.

• What’s the coolest or most exciting thing about working on TRANSPAN?

The most exciting part is bringing together experts from very different fields and countries to tackle a complex disease like pancreatic cancer from multiple angles: this kind of collaboration can really spark innovation.

• How does your work package help power up the whole TRANSPAN mission?

WG4 bridges basic research and clinical application by promoting translational strategies, helping ensure that discoveries in the lab can move more efficiently toward patient benefit. In particular, our working group strengthens the TRANSPAN mission by functionally validating candidate genetic variants identified in germline and tumor studies, using cutting-edge tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. In parallel, we develop innovative models like patient-derived organoids and zebrafish avatars to test therapeutic strategies tailored to individual patients. Altogether, this helps move the field closer to truly personalized medicine in pancreatic cancer.

• What’s been your proudest moment in the project so far?

Seeing meaningful collaborations emerge within the network, especially when they lead to concrete outputs like joint projects, shared resources and training, or new ideas moving forward. Seeing meaningful collaborations emerge within the network, especially when they lead to concrete outputs such as joint projects, shared resources, or new ideas moving forward. A good example is the position paper by the “TRANSPAN-PNI Group” on perineural invasion, which synthesizes current evidence on its molecular features and clinical implications in pancreatic cancer, compares its prognostic significance across other malignancies, and highlights novel biomarker strategies, including potential therapeutic interventions.

• What kind of real-world impact do you hope TRANSPAN will have?

I hope TRANSPAN will help identify biomarkers and research strategies that can accelerate the development of more effective and personalized approaches for pancreatic cancer, improving earlier diagnosis and treatment selection.

• What gets you out of bed in the morning to work on this topic? Coffee doesn’t count.

The possibility that our work can make a real difference for patients facing a very challenging disease, and the continuous opportunity to learn and collaborate with inspiring colleagues.

• If TRANSPAN had a slogan, what would yours be?

“Connecting minds to transform pancreatic cancer research into patient impact.”