New connective tissue cells could open the way to treating pancreatic cancer

New connective tissue cells could open the way to treating pancreatic cancer

Researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, have discovered a previously unknown type of connective tissue cells surrounding cancer cells in pancreatic tumors. The newly discovered cells counteract tumor development and may therefore be a target for research into new treatments for pancreatic cancer, which is one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

“We are still a long way from treatment, but this may show a viable path for further research,” says Daniel Öhlund, associate professor at Umeå University and who led the current study.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the cancers with the worst prognosis for survival. This is partly because it is often detected late and partly because it responds poorly to traditional chemotherapy treatments.
Researchers at Umeå University have examined the connective tissue cells that surround cancer cells in pancreatic cancer. These cells, called cancer-associated fibroblasts – CAFs, play an important role in the development of cancer. Different types of CAF stimulate the growth of cancer cells and help the cancer cells be resistant to current chemotherapy treatments. They therefore make the cancer more aggressive and difficult to treat.

What the Umeå researchers have found is a previously unknown subgroup of CAF with opposite properties. This group can instead hold back the cancer and open the way for the body's own immune cells to attack the cancer cells. However, this newly discovered group, called IFCAF - Interferon Response Cancer -associated fibroblasts, is in the minority among various CAFs around the cancer cells.

The opening we see is whether it would be possible to stimulate the formation of this newly discovered and friendlier cell type around the cancer cells at the expense of the connective tissue cells that make the cancer aggressive. “

Daniel Öhlund, associate professor at Umeå University

Researchers at Umeå University are now investigating potential drug substances that can promote the formation of IFCAF cells so that they increase in number and thus slow down the development of the disease. If successful, it could become a target for developing future drugs.

Approximately half a million people worldwide are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. The study is published in the scientific journal Cancer Research.

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