New drug target identified to halt pancreatic cancer spread

Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London have identified a new drug target that could stop pancreatic cancer from spreading. The discovery focuses on a protein called TSPAN5, which plays a key role in helping cancer cells move through the body.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease. Most patients are diagnosed late, after the cancer has already spread. Survival rates remain low, with fewer than 10% of patients living beyond five years.

How TSPAN5 helps cancer spread

The ICR team analysed tissue samples from pancreatic cancer patients and found that TSPAN5 levels were significantly higher in aggressive, metastatic tumours. In lab experiments, they showed that this protein acts like a switch, enabling cancer cells to detach from the primary tumour and invade other organs.

When the researchers blocked TSPAN5 in mouse models, the cancer cells stopped migrating. The spread to organs such as the liver and lungs was drastically reduced. This suggests that a drug targeting TSPAN5 could prevent metastasis, the main cause of death in pancreatic cancer patients.

A new avenue for treatment

Current treatments for pancreatic cancer are limited. Chemotherapy and surgery offer modest benefits, and there are few targeted therapies available. The ICR team believes that developing a drug to inhibit TSPAN5 could fill a critical gap.

Dr. Maria Rodriguez, lead author of the study, said in a statement that the finding opens up a new approach. “For the first time, we have a clear molecular target that directly controls the spread of pancreatic cancer. This could lead to therapies that stop the disease in its tracks,” she said.

The research was published in the journal Nature Communications. The team is now working to design small molecules that can block TSPAN5 without harming normal cells.

What this means for patients

Experts caution that the findings are still at the preclinical stage. Human trials are likely years away. But the discovery offers a concrete path for future drug development, especially for patients with aggressive, metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the ICR, described the work as a major step forward. “Pancreatic cancer has been a notoriously difficult disease to treat. This breakthrough gives us a real chance to make a difference for patients who currently have few options,” he said.

The ICR has filed a patent for the TSPAN5 target and is seeking industrial partners to accelerate drug development. The team is also investigating whether the same mechanism drives metastasis in other cancers, such as lung and breast cancer.

For now, the research remains in the lab. But the identification of TSPAN5 as a druggable target marks a rare bright spot in the fight against a devastating disease.