First-in-human study attacks inoperable pancreatic tumors with laser light

by UCI Health

edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

Sadie Harley

Scientific Editor

Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process

Robert Egan

Senior Editor

Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process Editors' notes

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

trusted source

proofread

The GIST Add as preferred source

UCI Health, the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, is conducting a first-in-human, Phase I clinical trial using laser light to target localized but inoperable pancreatic tumors to help patients become cancer-free.

The UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of only two U.S. cancer centers testing the potential breakthrough treatment using vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP), which was developed by the Israel-based biotechnology company ImPact Biotech.

"We use the light-sensitive drug padeliporfin to destroy pancreatic tumors encasing major arteries in the abdomen—once the vessels are clear of tumors, patients can undergo what can be a lifesaving surgery," said UCI Health radiologist Dr. Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, a nationally recognized expert in interventional approaches to treating cancers and lead investigator of the groundbreaking clinical trial.

In preliminary results published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Abi-Jaoudeh reports on three trial participants treated with padeliporfin VTP therapy.

Since then, another three patients have received the targeted low-light therapy. Of the six total patients, four had the remaining tumor tissue surgically removed. Three of those patients had no evidence of cancer cells at the surgical margins.

"This is a significant finding because patients with localized cancers who cannot undergo surgery have similarly low survival rates as patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer," Abi-Jaoudeh said. She is also a professor of radiology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.

Co-investigators include UCI Health medical oncologist Dr. Jennifer B. Valerin and surgeons Dr. David K. Imagawa and Dr. Zeljka Jutric.

Why surgery is often impossible

Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers. One reason is that, of the 50% of patients with localized cancer (meaning that it hasn't spread), two-thirds are not candidates for surgery. This is usually because their tumors wrap around major arteries that deliver blood to the abdomen, and surgery would risk damaging the vessels.

First, the clinical team injects the patient with the light-sensitive drug. Next, they insert a balloon into the tumor-encased blood vessel. Inside the balloon is a laser. When it is turned on, it activates the drug, killing the tumor surrounding the vessel. As part of the trial, the clinical research team is testing three incremental doses of laser illumination to determine the most effective one.

VTP treatment is delivered in two increments of five minutes each after participants have been injected with the drug padeliporfin.

Illuminating the padeliporfin causes a photochemical reaction within the blood vessel that breaks down the tumor's network of blood vessels and ultimately the tumor itself.

Although tissue destruction begins immediately after treatment, the team waits two weeks before surgically removing the residual tumor tissue.

Light exposure remains a constraint

No, patients must spend three days in a dark room because exposure to light could cause damage to other areas of the body, including the skin. That's why this therapy hasn't been used to treat larger areas.

If the investigative team confirms that this approach is effective, the hope is to move on to the next phases of the trial. Phases II and III, once approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will test VTP therapy in significantly more patients.

Publication details

N. Abi-Jaoudeh et al, Abstract No. LBA23 Intra-Arterial (IA) Padeliporfin Vascular-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy (VTP): Ongoing Multicenter, Phase I Light Dose Escalation Study in Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (LA-PDAC), Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jvir.2026.108722

Journal information: Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology

Clinical categories

OncologyGastroenterology Provided by UCI Health Who's behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →

Robert Egan

Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language. Full profile →

Citation: First-in-human study attacks inoperable pancreatic tumors with laser light (2026, September 11) retrieved 11 September 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-human-inoperable-pancreatic-tumors-laser.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.