Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most dangerous and fast-growing types of cancer.
It spreads quickly and is hard to treat, making it one of the deadliest cancers. Sadly, only about 8 out of every 100 people diagnosed with PDAC survive more than five years.
But there may be hope. Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have made an important discovery that could lead to new ways to treat this disease. Their study was recently published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
The research team, led by Axel Behrens, focused on a special kind of cancer cell called a cancer stem cell. These cells are different from regular cancer cells.
Just like healthy stem cells help repair the body, cancer stem cells can create new tumors and change into different types of cancer cells. That makes them especially dangerous and important to study.
The scientists found a protein called CD9 on the surface of cancer stem cells. CD9 works like a fingerprint—it helps identify these harmful cells. But CD9 also does more than that. It actually helps the cancer grow and spread.
In tests with mice, the team found that when they reduced the amount of CD9 in cancer cells, the tumors grew smaller.
When they increased CD9, the cancer got worse and the tumors grew faster. They also looked at data from patients and saw that people with high levels of CD9 in their tumors often had worse outcomes. About 10% of people with PDAC have high CD9 levels.
To learn why CD9 makes cancer more aggressive, the researchers studied how the cancer stem cells get their nutrients. They found that CD9 helps the cells absorb glutamine, a nutrient that acts like fuel. This gives the cancer energy to grow and spread quickly.
This finding is important because it shows a new way to fight PDAC. If scientists can block CD9, they might be able to stop the cancer stem cells from taking in glutamine. That would cut off their energy supply—like starving the cancer cells. Without energy, the cells would have a harder time growing and spreading.
There’s still a lot of research to do, but this discovery offers new hope. In the future, doctors may be able to treat pancreatic cancer by targeting CD9 or stopping its effects. This could help save lives and give patients a better chance at surviving this tough disease.
For patients and families facing pancreatic cancer, this study is a sign that better treatments may be on the way.
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