UCSF scientists discover a leukemia inhibitory factor may be a promising target against pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer's ability to evade therapy may be attributable to the presence of cancer stem cells, a subset of cancer cells present in pancreatic tumors that drive tumor growth by generating bulk tumor cells. Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have discovered that two proteins — KRAS and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) — help create cancer stem cells and that the latter can be targeted to block them. These results were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges conference, held in Lake Tahoe, Nev., from June 18-21. UCSF is home to the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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Among the research institutions NCI funds across the United States, it currently designates 66 as Cancer Centers. Largely based in research universities, these facilities are home to many of the NCI-supported scientists who conduct a wide range of intense, laboratory research into cancer’s origins and development. The Cancer Centers Program also focuses on trans-disciplinary research, including population science and clinical research. The centers’ research results are often at the forefront of studies in the cancer field.