New breakthroughs in understanding and treating pancreatic cancer.
Researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that the spread of pancreatic cancer throughout the body is due to changes to the composition of the initial tumors’ RNA molecules, which translate instructions from DNA for protein synthesis in cells. The study also found that a protein called RBFOX2 controls around 100 genes that are associated with the cells’ skeletal organization and their ability to move faster and create tumors in other organs. A drug called azathioprine, which is approved for use as an immunosuppressant for organ transplant patients, could potentially inhibit metastases in cells that have lost RBFOX2.