Health
New pancreatic cancer treatment ‘wakes up’ immune cells, researchers say
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Scientists have created a new antibody treatment that helps the immune system recognize and attack pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer cells use a sugary “disguise” to trick the immune system into ignoring them.
Most current cancer immunotherapies target proteins or genes, but this new therapy focuses on the sugars on the cell surface, blocking them so that immune cells can find and attack the cancer, according to researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago.
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“Pancreatic cancer is notoriously good at hiding from the immune system, but we were struck that a single sugar, called sialic acid, can so powerfully fool immune cells,” senior author Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
“When tumors sugar-coat themselves with this molecule, it flips an immune ‘off switch’ on certain immune cells, essentially signaling, ‘I’m a normal, healthy cell; don’t attack.’”
Study authors Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen (top) and Pratima Saini (foreground) are pictured in Abdel-Mohsen’s lab. (Northwestern University)
In mice studies, the therapy was shown to be successful in blocking this sugar signal, “waking up” immune cells and slowing cancer’s growth.
In two mouse models, tumors treated with the antibody grew significantly slower than groups that did not receive the treatment, the study showed.
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These findings could pave the way toward testing in human groups, and could potentially be combined with chemotherapy and existing immunotherapies, according to the researchers.
The findings were published in the journal Cancer Research on Nov. 3.
Study senior author Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen is shown in his lab. “This is early-stage, preclinical research, not a treatment today, but it opens a new immune target in pancreatic cancer,” he said. (Northwestern University)
“This is early-stage, preclinical research, not a treatment today, but it opens a new immune target in pancreatic cancer,” said Abdel-Mohson.
Heloisa P. Soares, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of theranostics at Huntsman Cancer Institute and associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Utah, said this research is “encouraging” because it points to a new way of helping the immune system recognize and fight pancreatic cancer.
“Pancreatic cancer is notoriously good at hiding from the immune system.”
“It was surprising to learn that a protein usually responsible for helping cells stick together is also being used by pancreatic cancer as a hidden ‘do-not-attack’ signal,” Soares, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“The striking part was that when this signal was blocked, the immune cells woke back up and started attacking the tumor much more effectively — which suggests a promising new direction for treatment.”
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Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal forms of the disease. It’s usually detected at an advanced stage, leaving patients with limited treatment choices and a five-year survival rate of only about 13%, the researchers noted.
Unlike many other cancers, it often doesn’t respond to immunotherapy.
Pancreatic cancer is usually detected at an advanced stage, leaving patients with limited treatment choices and a five-year survival rate of only about 13%. (iStock)
“Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late, in part because it remains asymptomatic and is deep in the body,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.
“It is also difficult to treat because it doesn’t have many good immune targets and doesn’t mutate that much.”
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The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged — primarily that the tests have only been conducted on animals thus far and there is not yet any human data.
“Animal models cannot capture all the complexity of human pancreatic cancer,” the lead researcher noted. “Tumors also use multiple escape routes, so this strategy will likely be part of a combination approach.”
After human trials, the researchers estimate that it could take about five years before the therapy would be available to patients. (Northwestern University)
The long-term safety and dosing parameters of the therapy are also unknown.
“We need clinical trials to see how effective this is in humans and whether it has a role in cancer treatments for this difficult and deadly cancer — but it is quite promising,” Siegel added.
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The research team is now working with clinicians at Northwestern’s Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center on next steps toward potential human studies, likely in combination with current chemotherapy and immunotherapies, according to Abdel-Mohsen.
“It’s a promising step forward, but not something that will change care overnight.”
“If future studies support it, this approach could be added to the toolbox against pancreatic cancer, likely alongside existing chemo-immunotherapy, not replacing what’s working today,” he told Fox News Digital.
After human trials, the researchers estimate that it could take about five years before the therapy would be available to patients.
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Soares added, “It’s a promising step forward, but not something that will change care overnight. Continued funding and participation in clinical trials are essential to keep this progress moving.”
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The study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health.
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Just four minutes of daily strength exercises can dramatically improve mobility, balance and leg strength in older adults, per new research from the Penn State College of Medicine.
Standard public health guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. However, the study suggests that fewer than one in five older adults meet the recommended muscle-strengthening guidelines.
The research team designed a home-based program called Functional Activity Strength Training, or FAST-2. They evaluated 97 sedentary participants 65 and older, with an average age of 74.
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Before entering the study, these individuals were averaging just 18 minutes of total physical activity each week.
The older adults were randomly split into two groups, with one group performing the daily exercise routine and the other serving as a control group that received no intervention, according to the study’s press release.
Just four minutes of daily home strength training can significantly improve mobility, balance and leg strength in older adults, according to a Penn State College of Medicine study. (iStock)
Participants performed four basic movements for 30 seconds each, separated by 30-second rest intervals. The entire routine lasted exactly four minutes. The circuit consisted of push-ups, chair stands, two-arm resistance-band rows and stair stepping.
To keep the routine accessible, researchers provided written explanations and simple modifications. For example, participants could perform push-ups against a kitchen counter or wall, or use their hands on their knees for support during chair stands.
Participants were also given four elastic resistance bands and an adjustable step platform.
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“Exercise is actually really complicated, because you have to decide how many repetitions, how far, how many sets, how much rest and how many times per week,” co-author Smita Dandekar, associate professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, said in the press release.
“It’s hard work … so if we can make it short, we’re part [of the] way there.”
The program consisted of four basic movements: push-ups, chair stands, resistance-band rows and stair stepping. (iStock)
As the participants grew stronger, they were encouraged to progress to higher levels of difficulty, such as transitioning away from modifications or increasing the height of the stepper.
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After 12 weeks, the results suggested that a tiny dose of regular exercise could yield noticeable physical benefits. In a 30-second chair-stand test, the exercise group performed an average of 4.2 more repetitions than the control group.
“These indicators … give you a sense of whether or not you’re going to be able to be active in the future.”
The adults doing the exercises also shaved 2.3 seconds off their time during a test measuring how they could stand up and sit down five times consecutively. Furthermore, they extended their one-legged balance time by an average of 3.6 seconds.
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The researchers emphasized that these specific measurements are critical medical indicators of an older adult’s future health.
By keeping the routine ultra-short, researchers eliminated common barriers like time constraints and exhaustion, resulting in an exceptionally high 81% workout completion rate. (iStock)
“These indicators predict your future ability to go into a nursing home, your future likelihood of falling and of developing difficulty walking,” noted lead author Christopher Sciamanna, professor of medicine and of public health at Penn State College of Medicine, in the press release.
“They give you a sense of whether or not you’re going to be able to be active in the future.”
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While traditional home exercise programs generally see low engagement, the participants in this study successfully completed their workouts on 81% of the tracked days, according to the researchers.
After 12 weeks, exercising seniors gained the ability to complete an average of four more chair-stand repetitions than those who did not exercise. (iStock)
The study had several noted limitations. As it tracked a relatively small sample size of fewer than 100 individuals over a brief 12-week time frame, it is unknown whether these mobility gains can be sustained long-term.
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Additionally, the researchers did not specify the exact dropout rates or detail how the routine might affect seniors who already relied on assistive devices like walkers or canes.
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Because the final trial results reflected a specific group of participants who met the entry criteria, further investigation is required to determine whether the short routine can safely benefit older adults facing more severe physical limitations or cognitive decline.
The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
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Jill Smokler, founder of Scary Mommy, has died at age 48 after a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
The popular “mommy blogger” had been fighting the disease for the past two years, according to an announcement posted on ScaryMommy.com on Monday.
The stay-at-home mother of three launched the blog in 2008 as a place to share the “joys and pitfalls” of parenting, according to the article.
As Scary Mommy expanded from a personal blog into a major parenting brand, Smokler built a following with her honest, often self-deprecating take on motherhood. She went on to speak at blogging conferences, author bestselling books, appear on national television programs and earn three Webby Awards, her biography states.
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“Jill spent her life telling the truth about motherhood — that it could be wonderful and impossible in the very same breath — and in doing so, she gave millions of women permission to stop pretending and feel a little less alone,” her family shared in a statement following her passing.
Jill Smokler, founder of Scary Mommy (pictured in 2018), has died at age 48 after a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock)
“She was funny, fearless, generous and entirely herself. More than anything she built, Jill was proudest of her three children, Lily, Ben and Evan. We are heartbroken to lose her, and endlessly proud of the mark she left on the world.”
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Smokler’s first sign of the disease was in April 2024, when she experienced a sudden seizure. She then underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, after which she didn’t recognize her own children, she previously shared with Today.
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“I am definitely grateful that I don’t remember the looks on their faces when I didn’t recognize them,” she said. “That must have been gutting.”
Smokler was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults and one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. There is currently no cure.
About 13.9% of all brain tumors are glioblastomas, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. (iStock)
Following surgery, the blogger underwent radiation and chemotherapy, during which she was open about her treatment side effects, including fatigue and hair loss. Additional surgeries and clinical trials followed, according to previous interviews.
“Thank you, Jill, for everything. May you rest in peace,” the Scary Mommy post concluded.
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About 13.9% of all brain tumors are glioblastomas, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. More than 12,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.
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Median survival is approximately 12 to 18 months after diagnosis, even with treatment. Only about 5% to 7% of patients survive five years after diagnosis, data shows.
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