Protein key to pancreatic cancer growth identified

WASHINGTON - Scientists have identified a protein that could provide a target to develop new treatments for pancreatic cancer or enable earlier diagnosis.

Researchers from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry found that nearly three quarters of pancreatic cancer tumours had high levels of a protein known as ‘P110?’.

In laboratory experiments, when production of this protein was blocked, the cancer cells stopped growing.

“It is a striking number of patients who present with high levels of P110?. The fact that P110? is needed for pancreatic cancer cells to grow shows that it is likely to have a critical role in the progression of the disease, which makes it a potential target for developing new treatments,” said Marco Falasca, Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, who led the research.

Results from the screening show that high levels of P110? were seen in 72 percent of the cancerous tissue while none could be found in the normal corresponding tissue. And when the researchers blocked production of the P110? protein, the cancer cells stopped growing.

The findings are published online in Clinical Cancer Research. (ANI)