A new study from University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers reveals important findings about how a common genetic mutation in pancreatic cancer works to drive tumor growth.
In the journal Cancer Discovery, researchers led by UNC Lineberger’s Channing Der, PhD, and Aaron Hobbs, PhD, reported details of the role of a particular mutation called KRAS G12R in pancreatic cancer, and therapeutic strategies that might work for this mutation type.
The study reflects a shift in the way researchers approach KRAS mutations in pancreatic cancer. By studying unique differences in DNA mutations within the same gene, researchers are working to uncover the unique, mutation-specific mechanisms that drive cancerous growth. This could potentially lead to different therapeutic strategies for each mutation type.
“The different properties of KRAS G12R may render pancreatic cancers with this mutation responsive to therapies that otherwise are not expected to work on other pancreatic cancers with other KRAS mutations,” said Der, who is a UNC Lineberger member and Kenan Distinguished Professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology.
Der Lab 