Study finds molecular mechanism linked to pancreatic cancer

Scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Baylor College of Medicine have made a new breakthrough discovery into the way that pancreatic cancer functions.

The team identified a new molecular mechanism that is understood to contribute to the spread of malignant tumours in the pancreas, creating hope that new drugs could be developed which block this pathway.

Seeking the mechanism responsible for the elevated zinc levels found in cells affected by the condition, researchers found that the initiation of ZIP4 – which acts as a master switch regulating zinc levels – triggered the activation of two downstream genes, which in turn accounts for the increased tumour growth.

Dr Xiaobo Cui, the study's co-first author and postdoctoral research fellow at the UTHealth Medical School, said: "The results we reported in this study may help the design of future therapeutic strategies targeting the zinc transporter and microRNA pathways to treat pancreatic cancer."

Around 8,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK, making it the ninth most common cancer type in the country.