Immunotherapeutic targeting of stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 has been shown to inhibit pancreatic cancer growth in animal models and cancer cell lines, indicating that this approach has promise for treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and possibly other SSEA-4-positive cancers, according to new a Taiwan/U.S. collaborative study.

Pretreatment with an experimental focal adhesion kinase inhibitor has been shown to improve chemotherapeutic efficiency and reduce metastasis in preclinical mouse and patient-derived models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with this priming regimen soon to enter phase II trials for PDAC using a novel, clinically relevant FAK inhibitor.

Two recent studies have independently identified macropinocytosis, a nutrient procurement pathway whereby cancer cells take up extracellular fluid droplets containing proteins and other macromolecules, as a promising new therapeutic target for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Single-cell genomic analysis has shown that mutations in the KRAS oncogene co-opt a proto-oncogenic enhancer network in inflammation-induced metaplastic progenitor cells, initiating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Chinese researchers reported in the November 3, 2020, edition of Nature Cancer.

BioWorld looks at translational medicine, including: Revving up cisplatin by targeting Rev7.