Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Cancer

Research details adaptation tactics of pancreatic cancer

April 4, 2024
in Cancer
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Pankaj Singh, Ph.D.
66
SHARES
597
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Like alien invaders in a sci-fi movie, pancreatic cancer cells quickly adapt to the weapons used against them and find ways to survive, even in the harshest of conditions.

Pankaj Singh, Ph.D.

Credit: University of Oklahoma

Like alien invaders in a sci-fi movie, pancreatic cancer cells quickly adapt to the weapons used against them and find ways to survive, even in the harshest of conditions.

Understanding why is the aim of cancer scientists everywhere. A University of Oklahoma researcher recently advanced the knowledge of pancreatic cancer with a study about how it acclimates to and even thrives in a highly acidic environment. The research is published in the current issue of the journal Nature Cell Biology.

“Very few studies have tried to understand how that acidification contributes to tumor cell viability and what adaptations tumor cells undergo so that they are able to grow and sustain their aggressiveness,” said the study’s lead author, Pankaj Singh, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Oncology Science in the OU College of Medicine.

Cancer is part of a tumor microenvironment – an ecosystem of normal cells, molecules and blood vessels that surround it, each affecting the other in ways both bad and good. In pancreatic cancer, the microenvironment is acidic because tumor cells consume a lot of the body’s glucose and then churn out an overabundance of lactic acid. As a whole, the tumor microenvironment is inhospitable because the cancer has deprived it of oxygen and nutrients due to its out-of-control growth. Yet pancreatic cancer constantly devises new ways to survive.

In his research, Singh discovered a series of steps that occur that allow pancreatic cancer to use the acidic environment to its advantage:

  • Cancer-associated fibroblasts, a type of cell in the tumor, secrete a molecule called acetate.
  • Pancreatic cancer cells use the acetate for “epigenetic reprogramming,” altering the way that genes work.
  • One of those genes, called SAT1, is activated by acetate and essentially gives cancer cells the tools they need to better grow in acidic conditions.

Understanding the mechanisms that help tumor cells to adapt and thrive is the foundation for devising treatments that could stop the process somewhere along the way, Singh said. In this case, it may be possible to target SAT1 with a drug that can decrease the fitness of tumor cells to grow in the acidic microenvironment. Singh is continuing his studies by repurposing a pneumonia drug called pentamidine to test its effectiveness in decreasing pancreatic tumor aggressiveness in mice.

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers – the five-year survival rate is just under 13%, according to the National Cancer Institute – and treatment options are few. Basic science research is crucial for continuing the unravel the devious nature of the cancer.

“This study highlights the fact that pancreatic tumor cells are not acting alone,” Singh said. “They have co-culprits in other cells, which they hijack and reprogram to their own advantage. By understanding these mechanisms, we can perhaps come up with better therapeutic approaches to target cancer.”



Journal

Nature Cell Biology

DOI

10.1038/s41556-024-01372-4

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Cancer-associated fibroblast-derived acetate promotes pancreatic cancer development by altering polyamine metabolism via the ACSS2–SP1–SAT1 axis

Article Publication Date

1-Mar-2024

Share26Tweet17
Previous Post

A new ‘Deep Learning’ model predicts with great accuracy water and energy demands in Agriculture

Next Post

Two newly described fossils help solve early mammal mysteries

Related Posts

blank
Cancer

Fibroblast miR-223-3p Boosts Colon Cancer Resistance

September 30, 2025
blank
Cancer

RHPN1-AS1 Drives Liver Cancer Progression Under Hypoxia

September 30, 2025
blank
Cancer

Analyzing Asparaginase Pancreatitis in Pediatric Leukemia Rechallenge

September 30, 2025
blank
Cancer

Decade-Long Clinical Trial Reveals Radiation Matches Surgery in Treating Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

September 30, 2025
blank
Cancer

NRG Oncology Trial Reveals Improved Bowel Health Quality of Life in Localized Immediate Risk Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

September 29, 2025
blank
Cancer

Shorter Radiation Enhances Patient Comfort Without Boosting Disease Control in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer

September 29, 2025
Next Post
Fossil reconstruction

Two newly described fossils help solve early mammal mysteries

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27560 shares
    Share 11021 Tweet 6888
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    969 shares
    Share 388 Tweet 242
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    646 shares
    Share 258 Tweet 162
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    513 shares
    Share 205 Tweet 128
  • Groundbreaking Clinical Trial Reveals Lubiprostone Enhances Kidney Function

    473 shares
    Share 189 Tweet 118
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • How Credibility and Usefulness Influence Green Purchases
  • WGCNA and ceRNA Illuminate Bovine Fat Deposition
  • Revolutionizing Drug Repositioning with Multi-Hop Graphs
  • User-Centric Companion Robot Design for Seniors

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Blog
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,185 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading