While pancreatic cancer remains one of the most formidable cancers, researchers at the University of San Diego have just identified an enzyme that promotes tumor growth. Thus opening the way to possible treatments.
With nearly 16,000 cases in France in 2023, pancreatic cancer is 6th in terms of frequency. However, with an increasing incidence, it is estimated that this cancer will be the 2nd cause of cancer mortality in our country by 2030.
In 90% of cases, pancreatic cancer appears in the form of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This type of cancer develops from the cells that produce pancreatic juice, necessary for digesting food. And it is precisely from this form that scientists have just made a hopeful discovery.
What is the MICAL2 enzyme?
Scientists have in fact identified a new key player in the development of this cancer: the MICAL2 enzyme. This protein, usually involved in the movement and morphology of cells, turns out to be a real fuel for pancreatic tumors.
The authors actually observed 3 elements:
- Among patients undergoing surgery to remove pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, those whose tumor cells had low MICAL2 expression survived twice as long as those whose tumor cells produced more. This suggests that MICAL2 could be involved in the progression of the disease to an advanced stage;
- The KRAS protein is known to be often involved in the emergence of cancer. It stimulates the growth of cancer cells. But deactivating the MICAL2 gene would significantly slow down KRAS activity. When tumor cells are deficient in MICAL2, the KRAS signaling pathway is unable to harvest nutrients that lead to tumor growth;
- MICAL2 would facilitate the spread of cancer to other healthy organs.
A promising target for therapies?
The authors have no doubt that this enzyme could be a promising target for drug therapies against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. “Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all common cancers and current treatments are woefully inadequate,” says Professor Andrew Lowy, division chief of surgical oncology at the University of San Diego. “We believe it will be possible to target MICAL2 with drugs because it is an enzyme belonging to a class of proteins against which inhibitory drugs have already been successfully developed to treat other human diseases. We are working currently identifying drug candidates to begin blocking MICAL2 function in pancreatic cancer.”
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