A new European research initiative is taking on one of the region’s most pressing health challenges, pancreatic cancer, known for being one of the most lethal and hardest-to-detect cancers.
SHIELD is a partnership of 26 leading research centers, clinical sites, patient groups, and industry partners in 13 European countries. With a shared vision to tackle pancreatic cancer, SHIELD develops and implements a non-invasive blood test for early detection in individuals with high genetic risk, ultimately improving patient outcomes and survival in Europe and in the rest of the world. The project was launched in May.
Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective, contributing to its high mortality rate. SHIELD aims to change this by using advanced technologies to improve early detection, monitoring, and patient care.
Why SHIELD?
Pancreatic cancer currently has one of the lowest survival rates in Europe, largely due to its aggressive progression and the lack of effective early screening tools. SHIELD aims to change that by developing a new digital ecosystem for earlier diagnosis, smarter monitoring, and more personalized treatment.
At the core of SHIELD is a commitment to improving patient outcomes. The project aims to give healthcare professionals the ability to detect pancreatic cancer earlier and more accurately, leading to better survival rates.
The project also focuses on data privacy, citizen engagement, and health system sustainability, values that strongly align with D4P’s vision for responsible digital transformation.
Digital for Planet's Role
Digital for Planet will support the success of the SHIELD project by leading all communication, dissemination, and community-building activities. This includes developing and executing a comprehensive strategy to raise awareness of SHIELD’s mission, promote results, and engage stakeholders across Europe. D4P will produce outreach materials, manage public campaigns, including targeted efforts to reach families at risk of PDAC—and ensure open access to scientific outputs and data.
Additionally, D4P will foster a collaborative ecosystem by building synergies with relevant initiatives, coordinating events, and supporting partnerships with networks such as EIT Health. Through strategic engagement and cross-sector collaboration, D4P will help amplify SHIELD’s impact and support its goal of advancing early, non-invasive detection of pancreatic cancer.
Learn more about SHIELD, Read the press release