Scientists discover new drug to improve life expectancy and quality for pancreatic cancer patients

Scientists discover new drug to improve life expectancy and quality for pancreatic cancer patients

He added: "Pancreatic cancer tumours are notoriously aggressive and difficult to treat and their location makes it easy for the cancer to spread to nearby organs such as the liver and stomach". He said the nature of pancreatic cancers means it is hard to get current drugs into the tumour.

"We believe adrenomedullin-2 receptors offer advantages for pancreatic cancer patients. Over the past 30 years the diagnosis and treatment of the vast majority of cancers has evolved rapidly, helping more people survive the disease than ever before,"

However, advances in treating pancreatic cancer and improving patient outcomes have had little effect on life expectancy. There are still cancers that are resistant to treatment and research is needed to solve those problems.

The novel drug molecules were found to be effective in treating pancreatic cancer tumours in mice models. Tumours did not grow as fast which provides evidence to suggest life expectancy would be extended. The compound is different from traditional therapies such as cytotoxic drugs and radiotherapy because it targets a very small number of cells and does not damage healthy cells in the body. It is hoped this will improve quality of life for patients undergoing treatment.

It is thought the concept will also be beneficial in other traditional hard-to-treat cancers such as relapsed breast cancer and lung cancer.

Building on more than a decade of research, and with substantial grant funding from The Wellcome Trust, the scientists created the spin-out company Modulus Oncology along with a team of biotech entrepreneurs. Dr Alan Wise, CEO of Modulus Oncology, said: "The team at the University of Sheffield have performed some truly pioneering research here and I am delighted to be helping Modulus Oncology take this vital work towards clinical testing. Our goal is to demonstrate benefit for cancer patients as well as growing a successful UK biotech company."

Modulus Oncology is currently in discussions with a number of life science investors to raise funding for first-in-human clinical trials designed to generate strong clinical proof of concept data.

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