{"entity":{"id":"starpac2","kind":"trial","name":"STARPAC2","aka":["STARPAC 2","STAR_PAC2"],"tldr":"STARPAC2 is a UK trial repurposing the vitamin A derivative used in leukaemia to soften the scar tissue around pancreatic tumours so chemotherapy works better; it follows a phase 1 (STAR_PAC) at Barts and has closed to recruitment with results due after 2028.","summary":"STARPAC2 (ISRCTN11503604, NCT04241276) randomises patients to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel with or without all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which in preclinical work restores pancreatic stellate cells to quiescence and reduces desmoplasia; the primary endpoint is progression-free survival and the registry lists 170 participants (estimated), a start date of 30 April 2020, primary completion June 2028 and the sponsor as Queen Mary University of London with Barts NHS Trust as the site. The phase 1 STAR_PAC established the dose. No results were published on 24 September 2026; the trial is one of the few UK-led randomised drug trials in pancreatic cancer open in the registry snapshot, beside PRIMUS 001 and the DETERMINE platform.","status":"active","asOf":"2026-09-24","links":[{"label":"ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04241276","url":"https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04241276"},{"label":"ISRCTN11503604: STARPAC2","url":"https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN11503604"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":["pancreatic","locally-advanced-pdac","metastatic-pdac"],"sections":[],"technologies":["cytotoxic-chemotherapy"],"targets":[],"drugs":["gemcitabine-nab-paclitaxel"],"companies":[],"institutions":["barts-cancer-institute"],"pathways":[],"terms":["desmoplasia","pancreatic-trials-open-today"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":["UK sites (registry, 1): Barts NHS Trust (London). ISRCTN11503604."],"nct":"NCT04241276","phase":"2","setting":"Pancreatic cancer in the United Kingdom, led from Barts: gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel with or without all-trans retinoic acid repurposed as a stroma-targeting agent, a randomised phase 2b with progression-free survival as the primary endpoint","sponsor":"Queen Mary University of London, with the Medical Research Council and Celgene","enrolled":170,"enrolledBasis":"registry","outcomes":[]},"route":"/trials/starpac2/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"locally-advanced-pdac","kind":"cancer","name":"Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/locally-advanced-pdac/"},{"id":"metastatic-pdac","kind":"cancer","name":"Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/metastatic-pdac/"},{"id":"pancreatic","kind":"cancer","name":"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/pancreatic/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cytotoxic-chemotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Cytotoxic chemotherapy","route":"/technologies/cytotoxic-chemotherapy/"}],"drug":[{"id":"gemcitabine-nab-paclitaxel","kind":"drug","name":"Gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel","route":"/drugs/gemcitabine-nab-paclitaxel/"},{"id":"nab-paclitaxel","kind":"drug","name":"Nab-paclitaxel","route":"/drugs/nab-paclitaxel/"}],"institution":[{"id":"barts-cancer-institute","kind":"institution","name":"Barts Cancer Institute / Barts Health NHS Trust","route":"/institutions/barts-cancer-institute/"}],"term":[{"id":"desmoplasia","kind":"term","name":"Desmoplasia (tumour stroma)","route":"/terms/desmoplasia/"},{"id":"pancreatic-trials-open-today","kind":"term","name":"Pancreatic cancer trials open today (registry snapshot and UK sites)","route":"/terms/pancreatic-trials-open-today/"}]}}