New drug targets offer potential pathway for pancreatic cancer treatment
Peter Mac researchers have identified potential new drug targets for pancreatic cancer by uncovering proteins cancer cells rely on to grow and survive.
Researchers at Peter Mac have identified potential new drug targets for pancreatic cancer, focusing on proteins essential for the cancer cells' growth and survival. Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, with a five-year survival rate of only 13% to 14%, largely depending on how early the cancer is detected and whether it has spread.
The study, led by Dr. Jennifer Devlin and published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, investigated a group of proteins called transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases, or tCDKs. These proteins are crucial for cancer cells to maintain the continuous activity of specific genes, supporting their growth and survival.
The researchers tested various drugs targeting different tCDKs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells, the most common type of pancreatic cancer. They discovered that inhibiting several of these proteins significantly slowed down the cancer cells' growth and multiplication. Specifically, pancreatic cancer cells were particularly sensitive to drugs targeting four tCDKs: CDK9, CDK11, CDK12, and CDK13.
These proteins are involved in controlling critical stages of the process that translates genetic instructions into RNA, which cells use to carry out their functions. When the researchers blocked these stages, they observed a strong impact on the cancer cells' ability to produce new RNA and continue multiplying.
The findings highlight CDK9, CDK11, CDK12, and CDK13 as promising vulnerabilities in pancreatic cancer cells, providing a foundation for further research into potential therapeutic targets.
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