Pancreatic cancer

A research team at Columbia University has made an exciting discovery, finding that a compound currently under development for a rare kidney stone disease can starve pancreatic cancer cells of a key amino acid they depend on for survival.

Scientists have found that a peptide taken from the foot-and-mouth-disease virus naturally zeroes in on pancreatic cancer cells, providing them with a new vehicle for drug delivery capable of completely killing off tumors in early experiments.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of the disease, thanks largely to the fact that the tumors tend to be much more solid. But now researchers have identified a promising new drug candidate that could linger for longer to worm its way in, and works when paired with other cancer drugs.

​Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that seeks to supercharge the body’s natural immune defenses, but pancreatic cancer is one that has so far been able to evade its advances. Scientists are now reporting a discovery that might help the immune system regain the upper hand.

​Pancreatic cancer is not the most common of cancers, but it is one of the most deadly, often presenting as entirely asymptomatic until it is too late.​ A new study from a group of Chinese scientists suggests bacteria on the tongue could offer a promising way to detect the disease early.​

​Many great scientific discoveries have arisen out of laboratory accidents. The latest serendipitous discovery comes from a cross-contamination accident that has revealed how a certain bacteria can stifle the efficacy of cancer drugs.

​Better screening tools pancreatic cancer could have a huge impact on survival rates. Scientists have now developed what could prove an exciting new diagnostics tool, in the form of a smartphone app that scans the white part of the eye for one of the disease's early tell-tale signs.

With a lack of symptoms even when the disease is progressed, more than 80 percent of pancreatic cancer diagnoses come after the cancer has already spread. But researchers have uncovered a biomarker in the urine of pancreatic cancer sufferers, suggesting an early stage test may be on the way.

Scientists working in pancreatic cancer research have uncovered a technique that sees cancerous cells transform back into normal healthy cells. The method relies in the introduction of a protein called E47, which bonds with particular DNA sequences and reverts the cells back to their original state.