BARD1 (BRCA1-associated RING domain protein 1) is an important oncogenic protein that forms a heterodimeric complex with BRCA1 (breast cancer gene 1); the complex has E3 ubiquitin activity associated with DNA damage repair and tumor suppression (Brzovic et al., 2001 ▸; Ruffner et al., 2001 ▸; Wu et al., 1996 ▸), and mutations in both BRCA1 and BARD1 are associated with breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers (De Brakeleer et al., 2016 ▸; Foulkes, 2008 ▸). This evidence concerns the gene BARD1 and familial pancreatic carcinoma.