en.Wedoany.com Reported - Pancreatic cancer treatment has a new potential target. Researchers at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in the U.S. have discovered that a receptor called IL1RAP plays a key role in maintaining drug resistance in pancreatic cancer, and a therapeutic strategy targeting this receptor has entered clinical trials.
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat due to its complex tumor microenvironment, which consists of a network of cells that help the tumor resist chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In a paper published in JCI Insight, the research team noted that IL1RAP connects tumor cells, immune cells, and fibroblasts into a coordinated network that collectively maintains cancer's resistance to treatment. Dr. Jashodeep Datta, a pancreatic surgical oncologist and senior author of the study, explained that targeting IL1RAP can block the common "co-receptor" on which numerous inflammatory signaling pathways depend, thereby inhibiting the entire inflammatory network.
Preclinical studies have shown that inhibiting IL1RAP can remodel the tumor microenvironment: immunosuppressive cells decrease, T cell activity increases, tumor fibrosis is reduced, and the response to combination therapy improves. The goal of the research is not only to attack cancer cells but also to reprogram the microenvironment that protects the tumor, making existing therapies more effective.
Based on these findings, a neoadjuvant clinical trial for patients with operable pancreatic cancer has been launched at Sylvester Cancer Center. This trial combines IL1RAP-targeted therapy with chemoimmunotherapy for preoperative treatment. The protocol allows researchers to evaluate tumor tissue before and after treatment, providing an opportunity to understand changes in patient biology. Dr. Peter Hosein, a clinical professor of medicine at the Miller School and co-author of the study, stated that this trial offers a window to directly link science with patient outcomes.
The study is supported by a translational research grant from the V Foundation. Dr. Datta's team is one of the few selected translational teams funded annually, receiving $800,000 over four years to advance the new strategy into early-stage clinical trials.
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