Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer, and one particular form—called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)—is especially dangerous. Only about 8 out of every 100 people diagnosed with this cancer survive for more than five years. Because it is so hard to treat, scientists around the world are constantly looking for new ways to stop it.
A team of researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London, led by Axel Behrens, may have found an important clue that could help change the way we fight this disease. They focused their study on a small group of cells inside tumors called cancer stem cells.
These cells act like the “roots” of the cancer. Just like healthy stem cells help repair and rebuild our body, cancer stem cells do the same—but for cancer. They help the tumor grow and even spread to other parts of the body.
Finding a way to stop these cancer stem cells could be the key to stopping the cancer itself. In their research, the team discovered a protein called CD9 that sits on the surface of these dangerous cells. This protein plays a big role in how aggressive the cancer becomes.
CD9 isn’t just sitting there doing nothing—it actually helps the cancer grow. The researchers tested this idea in mice. When they lowered the amount of CD9 in the cancer cells, the tumors got smaller. But when they increased CD9, the tumors grew faster and became larger. This pattern showed a clear connection between the amount of CD9 and how fast the cancer grows.
The scientists also looked at real patient data and found that people with high levels of CD9 had a worse outlook. In fact, about 1 in 10 patients with more CD9 had shorter survival times, showing that this protein could be linked to how serious the cancer becomes.
To understand how CD9 helps cancer grow, the researchers studied how it affects the way cancer cells take in nutrients. They discovered that CD9 helps the cells absorb glutamine, a nutrient the cells use for energy. When cancer cells get more glutamine, they grow faster. This means CD9 is helping feed the cancer.
This discovery is very exciting because it opens up the possibility of new treatments. If scientists can find a way to block CD9, they might be able to stop cancer cells from getting the nutrients they need. Cutting off their glutamine supply could “starve” the cancer and slow it down or even stop it from growing.
Of course, turning this discovery into a real treatment will take time. It takes many years to go from lab research to medicine that doctors can use. But this is a big step in the right direction. By learning more about what drives cancer growth, scientists are finding smarter ways to fight it.
The work led by Axel Behrens offers new hope in the battle against pancreatic cancer. By targeting CD9, we may be able to give patients a better chance at survival. It’s another important step on a long road, but it brings us closer to beating one of the toughest cancers there is.
If you care about cancer risk, please read studies that exercise may stop cancer in its tracks, and vitamin D can cut cancer death risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that yogurt and high-fiber diet may cut lung cancer risk, and results showing that new cancer treatment may reawaken the immune system.
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