Researchers recently announced an experimental drug showed remarkable promise in fighting “aggressive, deadly pancreatic cancer,” according to a report in the Daily Mail.
Researchers first announced the findings last month in Nature Chemical Biology. The report is good news for the approximately 67.000 Americans currently battling that form of cancer.
The new drug is reportedly the most effective medication available today for shrinking tumors. Early testing showed it could reduce tumor size by 30 to 98%. Researchers report the drug represents a superior approach to fighting pancreatic cancer than traditional chemotherapy.
A new paper reports a selective, aspartate-targeting covalent inhibitor of K-Ras-G12D, commonly found in pancreatic cancers. Free to read link at https://t.co/qZMkcgfLKO pic.twitter.com/Fi0X0Hmn7O
— Nature Chemical Biology (@nchembio) March 13, 2024
The miracle-drug properties of the new medication include successfully mitigating dangerous “genetic drivers” for approximately “95 percent of the most common form of pancreatic cancers —pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas.”
A Johns Hopkins Medical Center report noted that pancreatic cancer contributes to more than 50,000 deaths in America annually. Researchers pointed out that the mortality rate for this form of cancer is high because mutated genes transform normal pancreatic cells into cancerous cells, which in turn promotes the growth of treatment-resistant tumors.
The Cancer Research Institute reported the number of pancreatic cancer patients is on the rise, and without new treatment options, the disease will claim more than 100,000 lives annually by 2030.
The Daily Mail reported that Dr. Kenneth Olive, a physician at Columbia University and pancreatic cancer researcher, said: “For over four decades, we have known that there’s one particular RAS protein, called KRAS, that’s mutated and drives about 95 percent of all pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cases.”
Dr. Olive highlighted the importance of the new drug, saying, “And we’ve had no direct tools to attack [the KRAS protein] for most of that time.”
A March University of California at San Francisco research paper profiled the amazing research: “We’ve worked for ten years to bring pancreatic cancer therapies up to speed with therapies for other cancers,” said Dr. Kevan Shokat, a professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology.”
“This breakthrough is the first to target G12D and gives us a firm foothold to fight this devastating mutation,” he added.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center recently announced a multi-disciplinary approach to successfully treating late-stage pancreatic cancer. Many are now celebrating the rare burst of good news regarding treating cancer.
