Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most dangerous types of cancer.
It has a very low survival rate—less than 10% of people diagnosed with it live for five years. It is difficult to treat, and current therapies often fail to stop the disease.
Now, scientists at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center may have found a new way to treat this deadly cancer. Their research focused on the environment inside and around the tumor, known as the tumor microenvironment. This includes not just the cancer cells but also nearby immune cells, blood vessels, and other tissues.
One of the reasons PDAC is so hard to treat is because this microenvironment blocks the immune system from fighting the cancer. It also makes it harder for chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments to work. Dr. Ahmet Kaynak, a researcher at the Cancer Center, led a study to find out why this happens.
The team discovered that a protein called Hsp70 plays a big role in helping tumors avoid the immune system. While this protein is known for helping cells stay healthy, its part in helping cancer cells survive and resist treatment wasn’t fully understood until now.
With this new information, the researchers created a new drug called SapC-DOPG. This drug targets a special fat found on the surface of cancer cells and is designed to reach and block the Hsp70 protein. The goal is to weaken the cancer’s defense system and make it easier to treat.
In tests using mice with pancreatic cancer, the drug worked very well. It shrank the tumors and helped the animals live longer. The drug was also safe and well tolerated in these tests.
This research builds on earlier work by Dr. Xiaoyang Qi, Dr. Kaynak’s mentor, who developed a similar drug called SapC-DOPS. That drug is already in Phase 2 clinical trials for lung cancer, and it has been shown to be safe for people.
Dr. Kaynak hopes that their new drug, SapC-DOPG, can soon be tested in clinical trials with pancreatic cancer patients. Because the older version of the drug has already been proven safe, there is hope that this new version will be safe too.
This discovery could lead to a new option for people with pancreatic cancer, giving them a better chance at survival. Dr. Kaynak will share the research at a special conference on pancreatic cancer on September 28 in Boston. One of his papers on the study was also named Paper of the Year by the Cancer Center’s trainee program.
Dr. Kaynak thanked his mentor and the University of Cincinnati’s Hematology and Oncology Division for their support and guidance. His work brings new hope in the fight against one of the toughest cancers to treat.
The study is published in Cancers.
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