Argentine and Spanish scientists identify a key protein in the fight against pancreatic cancer

He pancreatic cancer This is a big challenge for oncologists. According to the latest data from World Health Organization (WHO)There are more than 510,000 new cases and more than 467,000 deaths each year. Within world day With regard to this cancer pathology, experts are committed to making visible the global problem of this tumor, as well as promoting efforts to improve available diagnoses and treatments.

According to the latest data published Ministry of Health of the Nationthey were diagnosed in 2020 5026 cases of cancer pancreas in Argentina, which represents 3.8% of all cancer diagnoses registered in the country. From this amount, 2357 cases corresponded to men (3.8% of all cancer cases in men) and 2669 females (3.9% of total cancer cases in women). This tumor, although less common than others, is notable for its high mortality rate and the challenges it poses to diagnosis and treatment, according to Health Portfolio.

Faced with this reality, a group of scientists led by Drs. Gabriel Rabinovichbelonging CONICETand doctor Pilar Navarrobelonging Barcelona Maritime Hospitalpresented promising advances in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common type of this disease. A study developed in collaboration between Laboratory of Glycomedicine belonging IBYME and the Spanish institutionis part of a joint program CONICET And SALES Fund.

As they noted in their statement, laboratory studies have revealed the frequency of occurrence of a key protein in tumor expansionwhich opens up the possibility of developing new targeted therapy for the treatment pancreatic cancer. “We have identified a key role for the galectin 1 protein in tumor propagation, opening new opportunities for targeted therapy,” Rabinowitz said in a statement.

“Improving outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer is an important driver and unmet clinical need. It is alarming that both the incidence and mortality rates are increasing,” the Argentine expert added. At the same time, scientists said that they are working on an innovative organoid model that allows them to study the disease without resorting to the use of animals as an experimental modelwhich represents progress in ethical research methods.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the main problems in oncology due to its mortality and complexity of the clinical picture. According to World Cancer Research Fund, This tumor “is the twelfth most common cancer in the world and the eleventh most common in men and women.” On the other side, Global Cancer Observatory reports that in 2020 pancreatic cancer was seventh leading cause of cancer deaths in the worldapproximately 466,000 deaths recorded while more 510,000 new cases the same year.

Latest forecasts International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) warn that global prevalence will increase by more than 12% by 2040a trend attributed to the aging population, smoking and obesity as stated. In Latin America, although the incidence of pancreatic cancer is lower than in other regions, a high mortality rate is evident. Uruguayaccording to Global Cancer Observatoryhas speed 11.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitantswhich gives regional figures. In case Argentinathey were reported 5,026 new cases in 2020which represents 3.8% of the total number of cancer diagnoses in the country.

In addition to numbers and estimates, Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)responsible for 90% of pancreatic cancer diagnosesis one of the deadliest tumors. WITH average survival rate Just five months after diagnosis, the disease now represents third cause of cancer death in Europe. Moreover, forecasts show that by 2030 it will become second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States.

This reality underscores the need for innovative strategies. International experts agree that combating this disease requires a comprehensive strategy. “Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult to treat due to late diagnosis and aggressive biology,” the report says American Cancer Societywhich highlights the importance of developing biomarkers to detect the disease at early stages.

A group of researchers led by Dr. Gabriel Rabinovichbelonging CONICETand doctor Pilar Navarrobelonging Barcelona Maritime Hospitalhave presented significant advances in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). According to the official statement, the work is focused on studying the protein Galectin 1 (Gal1)which plays a key role in tumor growth and evasion of the immune system.

Research on Galectin 1protein characterized by Rabinovichis part of the region glycomedicine

trying to understand the mechanisms by which various tumors manage to evade the immune response. In a specific case pancreatic cancerit is classified as cold cancerbecause it lacks significant infiltration of immune cells capable of attacking it. This feature limits the effectiveness immunotherapy available, leaving patients with few effective therapeutic options.

“We found that genetic ablation of Gal1 increases animal survival and limits tumor growth through multiple mechanisms, including reduced stromal and angiogenesis, and increased immunity from cellular infiltration. In addition, we show that Gal1 is involved not only in pancreatic tumor initiation but also in late stages of tumor progression, as evidenced by reduced liver metastasis due to genetic deletion of Gal1,” he said. Rabinovich.

The team emphasized the ability to stop the offensive pancreatic cancer by pharmacological inhibition Gal1using specific monoclonal antibodies. This method can also improve efficiency immunotherapy Currently, a particularly relevant approach to the treatment of this type of cancer is classified as “cold” due to the low presence of active immune cells, which reduces its sensitivity to available immunological treatments.

Similarly, a three-dimensional model Pancreatic cancer organoids is designed to more accurately study human tumor samples, enabling significant advances in the analysis and development of new therapeutic strategies.

In this sense in Marine Hospital V Spaindoctor Federico Bodu, project participant, exchanged views aimed at developing an innovation model pancreatic cancer organoids. This progress is aimed at facilitating the combination of different therapeutic purposes to combat this disease. “These 3D co-culture systems will allow us to avoid using animals as experimental models by obtaining a preclinical research model based on samples from patients with this disease,” the expert said.

He added: “This will enable more precise medicine, allowing tests to be carried out on individual and case-specific human samples, obtaining more realistic physiological results that cannot be achieved using other models, such as in vitro cell lines.” “