Spanish Scientists Eradicate Pancreatic Cancer in Mice

Researchers led by Mariano Barbacid, a molecular oncologist and head of the Experimental Oncology Group at the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), have completely eradicated pancreatic cancer in mice using a combination of three drugs, without observing tumour resistance, one of the main obstacles in treating this disease. The finding, the result of years of basic and translational research, represents a significant advance against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most frequent and aggressive type of this cancer, characterized by its low survival and limited response to conventional therapies. The scientific team designed a therapeutic strategy based on the simultaneous blockade of three key points of the KRAS molecular pathway, a mutation present in the majority of pancreatic cancer cases. This approach prevented tumour cells from activating alternative survival mechanisms, a phenomenon that usually causes relapses after treatments targeting a single target. Additionally, no serious side effects were detected during the administration of the therapy, which reinforces the value of the approach from an experimental point of view. Barbacid has emphasized that this result confirms that pancreatic cancer can be vulnerable if the molecular pathways that sustain it are blocked in a coordinated manner, breaking the paradigm that it is an intrinsically untreatable tumour. Despite the magnitude of the advance, Mariano Barbacid himself has been emphatic in stating that the results are limited for now to animal models. In the animal models, the tumours disappeared completely and did not reappear during the follow-up period, a result that, according to the researchers, had not been previously observed with such consistency. According to the reported data, the treated mice showed total tumour regression, with no evidence of residual growth or subsequent progression. This new advance consolidates the CNIO as an international benchmark in preclinical research and reinforces the value of public science aimed at solving high-burden health problems. The therapy combined three drugs with complementary functions, administered in a coordinated manner. Before considering clinical trials in humans, it will be necessary to optimize the pharmacological combinations, evaluate their long-term safety, and comply with the corresponding regulatory processes. The researcher has warned that transferring this type of finding to the clinical realm requires sustained funding, infrastructure, and time, elements that continue to be a challenge for independent biomedical research. Part of this line of research has had the support of the CRIS Against Cancer Foundation, whose backing has made it possible to advance in complex and high-cost studies.